Convergence
by Le Confidant
Summary: Edward got closer. He just couldn't believe how young she looked. For all he knew she could have been snapped away from Amestris just minutes after he had left her, never to return by her side. His brows knitted together from thinking about the painful memory. A gamut of 'what if's' suddenly invaded his mind and put weight upon his aching heart. Remorse was a cold bitch.
1. Prologue

A/N: **This is a birthday gift for my dear friend Jaclyn who turns older today.** Jake I know this chapter is not too much but you'll love the end product, of this I assure you.

To all returning readers, welcome back! To new readers, welcome! You'll find that my stories are not mainstream which is how I like them… and I hope you will too!

Convergence will be full of angst, fringe science, drama and romance but bring a tissue or two because you'll need it. Many of you already know how creative I can get. I do let you know that this story is not morbid like Insidious but I might change the rating from Teen to Mature if the birthday girl wishes so.

Enjoy!

I tend to pair a song to my multi-chapter fics that serve for both inspiration and ambience for what I try to convey in my stories. For this story I chose **_Bella (She's All I'll Ever Had)_ by Ricky Martin**. Lovely sad song. Just perfect for this fic. Watch it in YT. You won't be disappointed.

**Many, many thanks to my beta for this story ZilSepam!**

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**Somewhere In This World**

Earth, 2005 A.D.

oOo

"Ready?" Asked the spunky blonde boy with the long bangs to his little brother and sister who nodded back a "yes".

"Happy birthday!" The trio said loud enough for Edward to hear from his bedroom.

The old man smiled as the cheery voices of his great great grandchildren soothed the void in his tired old heart. He had just been sitting, looking at a picture of Al and himself, when the kids had showed up.

Ed knelt in front of the nightstand and took a small security box from the bottom drawer. He struggled to get up; the arthritis in his right hip and knee were slowly eating away at his strength with each passing year. He placed the box on top of the bed and pressed in the four-number combination passcode, soon after he heard the lock release. Ed's stomach fluttered with anticipation. It had been years since the last time he had opened that box— his treasure box.

The long-haired man pushed around some old military documents, slides and his cherished movie reel until he found what he was looking for. Slowly sitting himself on the bed, Edward gazed at the old Polaroid he held in his hand. The backside of the photograph had weathered terribly but the text written on it was still legible.

oOo

_Liberty Island, 1941._

_Always yours. —xoxo—_

oOo

His eyes blurred with warm tears as the words "always yours" cut through him deeply. Ed blinked the tears away and flipped the photo. A yearning smile appeared on his wrinkled, old face.

Edward looked lovingly at the girl in the picture. Her radiant blonde hair and bright smile… blue eyes that shone as intensely as the celestial blue sky above her… even her poise rivaled with the imposing figure of Lady Liberty who stood tall and proud in the backdrop.

"Winry…"

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A/N: I know that in the OVA the trio are descendants of Alphonse and not Ed but for the sake of this story I went ahead and made the kids Ed's great great grandchildren.

I will be taking a break from Insidious and will be concentrating on developing this story starting sometime mid to late Summer 2013. In the meantime I hope you all have a great Summer! Ciao!


	2. One

A/N: I want to thank my beta and collaborator ZilSepam for all her help and insight for this story.

Enjoy!

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**1**

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**Earth, January 8, 1940 A.D**

Lightning tore through the early Winter evening, subtly brightening the sky as it connected with the wet terrain. Thunder soon followed, letting Edward know that it struck close by. He huffed, the forced air sifted through his bangs as he contemplated the overly active night sky. He immediately wondered if his wife had chosen that night to take stage as the mad scientist, much like the ones portrayed in the moving pictures he had watched in the recent past. Thick drops of water began to fall unannounced onto the roof of the government-issued car, making loud thumping noises as they made contact.

_'Just great.'_ Edward's face cringed, absentmindedly clenching and unclenching his automail hand.

"It's the goddamn cold front that's cooking up this crazy weather."

Edward shifted his miffed gaze from the eerie window scenery to look at the stern MP's reflection on the rearview window.

"So it seems." He replied, his tone clipped. He was in no mood to engage in cordial conversation with military personnel. Not this time around, not like he used to when he was still known as the Fullmetal Alchemist. Edward shifted slightly on the leather seat and returned his gaze to the moving scenery. The trails of water running down the window caused the view to be distorted. A sudden, stabbing pain gripped at his right shoulder so strong that it made him wince and whimper. He cursed inwardly as he tried to will the marred muscles on his stub to relax.

"Fucking rain…" He spewed through clenched teeth.

"Did you say something, Von Elric, sir?" The soldier asked as he looked at him through the mirror. "You look rather pale." Edward could hear genuine concern in the tone of the man's voice.

"I'm ok. No need to worry. Just keep driving." The blonde replied, trying to sound nonchalant. 'The man talks too much for being a soldier of the proud United States Navy.' Edward exhaled noisily. "How much longer 'til we reach The Annex?"

"About fifteen more minutes, sir."

"Thanks." Edward muttered and slumped down, conforming his neck and head around the contours of the back seat. He could do this with ease on such confined space, as his petite body gave him the advantage to do so. He closed his eyes and waited for the ride —and for the pain in his shoulder— to end. The lids surrounding his golden irises shot open when another lighting bolt struck nearby, then closed them again, groaning when his thoughts went to the reason of his present predicament.

_'That woman is going to send me to an early grave…'_

Five hours ago, he was grading some short quizzes in the comfort of his ample office at Virginia Tech when he received an urgent message from Alphonse. With the perks of a well earned tenure came the availability of having a private telephone line, so he immediately called his younger brother knowing before hand that the "urgency" had a name attached to it. What… or more exactly 'who' was she putting at risk now with her eccentricities? Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long on the phone line while his security clearance was being checked, and was quickly patched to his brother's private line. Alphonse didn't talk much when he took the call, but he did convey that an official escort would be arriving soon at VT to pick him up and take him to the facility as soon as possible, because Dee had finally decided to go through with the final phase of the teleportation experiment.

The vehicle slowed down and made a sharp left turn. Edward only opened his eyes again when he felt the bumps of the unmarked gravel road. Finally, they had reached the trail that connected with The Annex, an affiliate undercover facility that was run by the US Navy from NS Norfolk, the base that was established in the cozy town which donned the same name. Thankfully, the rain had subsided to a drizzle and the sharp pain in his shoulder had subsided to a dull throb, something he could easily eradicate once he obtained medication.

Another five minutes on the road and The Annex suddenly appeared, glowing on the horizon. Edward's brow furrowed with worry, knowing very well that the facility was shining so bright because of the prepping of all the auxiliary generators to carry out a major test.

"I can't believe that she is really going for it…" He muttered in disbelief, as he secretly hoped that Alphonse was just exaggerating. Edward noticed that the MP had heard his words, since he caught the man looking at him again through the rear view mirror. He quickly diverted his eyes away from the soldier.

Six minutes went by, and they finally arrived that The Annex. Edward jumped out of the car as soon at it made a full stop —ignoring the drizzle that started accumulating on his long hair, skin and heavy coat— while he made his way to the guard gate.

"I.D. Card and Code." Spat the burly gate soldier.

Edward took his military I.D. Card issued to contractors from the right pocket of his tweed coat, and handed it to the guard while he spoke out-loud his security code. The soldier took his card then went inside the gate shack and picked up the telephone receiver. In the meantime, Edward had his arms crossed in front of his chest and was tapping his right foot as he painstakingly waited in the ice cold rain. Amestris, Earth, he had learned throughout the years that the military was a branch which was meant to be a pain in the ass, no matter which world it belonged. The blonde absentmindedly rolled his eyes at his musings. Another five minutes had passed, and the drizzle that kept falling was now starting to soak deep into his coat and clothes, making the pain in his right shoulder come back with a vengeance. He winced again from the sharp throbbing pain and grumbled some obscenities that the gate guard didn't get to hear, while he still waited in the wet cold. Edward heard the man say a "yes sir" then hang up. Immediately, the burly soldier got out of the shack and told him to wait for Alphonse to get there. Minutes after, his younger brother came outside of the building, immediately flipping the collar of his white lab coat up once he noticed the drizzle. Edward wondered how long Alphonse had been cooped up inside the facility for him to not have noticed the nasty weather around them.

Alphonse walked at a fast pace and reached the guard gate in less than a minute. He scowled when he saw his older brother standing outside, slowly getting drenched.

"Couldn't you at least offer him an umbrella, Private Collins?" Alphonse barked when he diverted his attention to the soldier. "Can't you see he's almost completely drenched?"

Edward grinned with brotherly pride. Over the last ten years, Alphonse had become a force to be reckoned with; gaining confidence and leadership while being mentored by his wife. After all, she was the brains behind the cutting-edge teleportation technology. He had become the Chief Supervisor at The Annex and, consequently, Dee's right hand regarding the dangerous experiment.

"Edward, are you okay?" Alphonse asked. His voice was filled with worry, knowing very well what that kind of elemental exposure often did to his brother's stubs.

"Yeah Al, I'm as good as I can be…" Edward replied with his best smile, even though Alphonse could see through the facade.

"Let's get you out of that wet coat, but we need to hurry. I can't stall any longer." His brother said in a low voice, in case the soldier could hear him while they walked away.

"Is it that bad?" Edward asked.

"You have no idea, Brother…" Alphonse's reply made Edward walk faster down the greenish-tinted hallway.

Some of the facility workers saluted Edward as he went down the main corridor, but the blonde was too irate and too worried to stop and salute accordingly. He pushed through the double doors that led to the testing site as soon as Alphonse pressed the twelve number access code on the security keypad.

"Dee!" Edward's shout echoed inside the gigantic hangar that was being used for the experiment. "Dee!" He walked past the main generators and the spherical dome —which encapsulated the teleportation device— then headed down towards the control room. Alphonse followed closely behind. When he finally reached the control room, Edward found his wife speaking with some of her subordinates as they gave her status reports on security checks. She looked his way and immediately scowled.

"Why are you—? Never mind." Her eyes shifted from Edward to Alphonse once he joined his brother. "I knew that you were fiddling too much." She said to Alphonse, pointing an angry finger at him.

"It's good that he did, Dee! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Edward could taste the sourness of his words.

"What does it look like, Ed? I'm creating history here!" She replied with exaggerated movements of her arms as she glided them through the air to make her point.

"Stop the test Wendy Rockwell or I will."

Wendy laughed derisively. "On whose authority, dear? You're not part of the team anymore, you're only a measly civilian who is clearly way over his head." She strutted past Edward and Alphonse then headed towards the center of the hangar and to the spherical dome.

"Don't you dare turn your back on me!" Edward threatened as he walked behind his wife.

Wendy ignored his yelling and kept her haughty walk until she reached the door that accessed the dome. She punched in the security code and quickly went inside, closing the door behind her. Edward began banging on the door when he found it to be locked.

"Wendy-Ann-Rockwell! Open this door right now!"

Alphonse —who had followed his brother and sister-in-law at a reasonable distance— now stood next to him and used his access code to unlock the door, but quickly found out that the code was inactive. Edward had completely forgotten about the pain his right shoulder as his anger escalated. While Alphonse tried the code again, Edward began punching the door with his automail arm, quickly leaving dents on the metal frame.

"Edward, stop it!" Alphonse yelled as he trapped his older brother in a restraining hold.

"Don't make public displays of your automail!" He whispered harshly to his ear once he got a sure grip on the writhing body.

The red strobe light above the metal door began flashing, and a siren echoed inside the gigantic space. The roof of the hangar began sliding open and Edward cursed his angry frustration away as he fought to break loose from his younger brother's hold. When he finally managed to get loose, he ran around the back of the dome and went up the stairs leading to the observation room. Once he was inside, he moved directly to the intercom and flipped the switch on while his anguish-stricken eyes stared down at his wife through the thick glass.

"Dee… please stop this… it's too risky." Edward said in a soft, pleading voice.

Wendy stopped momentarily and looked up. She gave Edward an icy stare, then continued working the buttons on the main control panel that was located to the right of the actual teleportation device. The metallic chair was simple in design, with its padded head rest and neatly-folded wired sensors hung to each side of the armrests which were meant to keep track of vitals. A communication device in the form of a headset also hung from the left armrest, a device Edward hoped that Dee would eventually pick up.

"Please…" Edward whispered into the intercom.

The brunette stopped. Wendy stared at the control panel for a moment, then sighed. She walked around the chair and grabbed the headset from the armrest. She adjusted the device onto her head and pushed the talk button.

"Stop pretending that you care, Ed." She finally said, releasing the cold words she had been harboring for a long time as she looked at him through the glass window. "It's too late for that." Wendy released her finger from the talk button. Even from that distance, Edward could see deep, unresolved hurt nestled in her green-gray eyes. Wendy turned around and sat on the chair. She unbuttoned her white lab coat then unbuttoned the first three buttons of her red silk shirt —thus leaving her bra partially exposed— then took from both armrests the wired sensors and began adhering them on her temples and on the open chest area, right where her heart was located. Wendy looked up at Edward and this time she noticed that Alphonse was standing next to her husband. The brunette pressed the talk button on the communication device. "Alphonse, I appointed Wallace to take over tonight's testing…" She had an apologetic look in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Dee…" Alphonse said in a small voice, clearly taken aback from the sudden news.

"Wendy, you can die tonight!" Edward desperately yelled through the intercom. He exhaled his anxiety and grasped his bangs tightly with his free hand.

She laughed sardonically. "Then I won't be a nuisance to you anymore… am I right, dear?" She added softly into her microphone after a small pause.

Wendy looked to her right and turned a dial on the control panel. She had changed the channel on the communication device then spoke into the microphone again.

"Wallace, can you confirm that the coordinates are correct?" She nodded as she heard the man confirm the target location. "Ok, good. Commence the countdown now."

Wendy changed the knob back to the channel that connected with the observation room's intercom. She raised her light-colored eyes at Edward, then pressed the talk button one last time. At that point the brunette could see that her husband sported a chagrined look on his face. She bit her lower lip, letting a small amount of regret float to the surface of her well-restrained demeanor.

"Edward, I put inside the safe at our estate two large folders. One contains divorce papers which I want you to sign if the experiment is a success, and the other contains my will… if… if I don't make it to the other side. That's all." She took the finger off the talk button and proceeded to change the dial back to the control room's channel.

Edward's entrails had just turned cold from her cut-throat words when he heard the massive generators activate. A loud rumble invaded the entire hangar as the generators gained speed. The ozone created by the generator's copper coils began accumulating around the dome and the observation room.

"Is there a way that you can cut the power to the generators?" Edward asked in a clearly affected voice to what his younger brother replied a "no" with his head.

"I'm sorry Brother. She took the liberty to block my access codes, and put my assistant in charge of the control room…" Alphonse now had a betrayed look in his hazel eyes. "She left me out on purpose. I should have known she would."

Edward pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes as he heard Alphonse's words, when suddenly, a wild idea ran through his mind. He was about to run down to the control room and break the computer panels to smithereens when he heard a second alarm. The generators were now rotating at one-hundred percent, since both brothers could feel their hairs standing on end. Suddenly, Edward lost his balance and fell to the ground hard, producing a loud thump when he hit the cement floor.

"Ed!" Alphonse quickly kneeled beside his brother.

"Dammit! They won't respond!" Edward said frantically, once he realized that both his automail limbs were not functioning.

"It's the electromagnetism created by the generators. This room is not insulated like the control room is but… I've never would have guessed that it would interfere with your automail."

Frustrated, Edward clenched his jaw then released it when he sighed. "Please help me up, Al." His voice was filled with utter resignation.

Alphonse hooked his left arm around Edward's back while placing the heavy automail arm around his neck then lifted his older brother. The shorter blonde helped push up with his right leg and soon he was standing straight. Alphonse moved a limping Edward to stand near the thick glass window, then left him leaning from it so he could grab a chair for his brother to sit on. Both brothers looked through the window at the woman sitting on the teleportation chair. Wendy looked agitated as her chest was rising and falling rapidly.

"That's not good." Al spoke out-loud, completely forgetting that his older brother was beside him.

"What are you talking about?"

Alphonse grimaced when he realized what he had said. "Looks like her body it's not handling the stress very well…" He ran a hand over his mouth at that point.

"What!" Edward's eyes widened in panic.

"I'm going to be right back." Alphonse mumbled then rushed out of the room and down the flight of stairs leaving his panicked brother behind.

Edward felt his heartbeat escalating as dread engulfed his body. It looked as if he was going to witness his wife's death that night. He began hyperventilating and, out of his desperation, he stood up and limped over where the intercom was and pressed the talk button.

"Dee! Can you hear me?" His voice was clearly trembling with fear.

He waited for the response that never came through. Edward placed his flesh hand over his eyes and gritted his teeth. Soon after he began sobbing uncontrollably as guilt wrapped tightly around his heart.

"This is all my fault!" He screamed inside the empty room.

_'Why do I always fuck up everything?'_

Wendy's agonizing scream snapped him out of his current guilt trip. He looked down and his pupils contracted with what he was witnessing. The teleportation chair and his wife's figure began vibrating to a point that they began to look blurred to Edward's frightened eyes. The vibration increased in frequency and it was erasing Wendy, along with the chair, out of existence until both had disappeared completely from within the dome. At that point Edward's mouth was agape and he absentmindedly brought his automail hand over his mouth. He hadn't noticed that he had regained the full movement of his automail limbs yet or that the generators had completely stopped at that point, he just stared at the empty spot where his wife had been just seconds before.

"Brother!" Alphonse breathlessly shouted as he entered the observation room.

Still in shock, Edward stared at him while he took his hand away from his mouth. His golden eyes flickering from what he just witnessed.

"Did… did she make it to the other side Al?" He finally managed to say after his heart slowed, but Alphonse kept silent. Soon after his eyes welled up while his brows furrowed. "Alphonse?"

"Brother I—" Alphonse's brow also furrowed as he willed the words he needed to convey. "She didn't arrive at the target point."

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******Amestris, Continental Calendar June 8, 1919**

Winry got up from the spacious bed in the newly restored master bedroom at her Resembool house. Strutting passed the bedpost, she blew a playful kiss at the man still lying in bed. She walked over where his military uniform was and decided to put on his white dress shirt. She glanced at him with and saw him gawk at her. She laughed, and let his awing eyes influence her to grab the blue military jacket and modeled it for him as well.

"You definitely look sexy wearing that jacket, Win." Said the blonde man with the blue-gray eyes. Winry's inviting gaze made him get up from bed and walk to where she awaited. He caught Winry within his grasp, pressing his body against her back and wrapping his arms around her mid section.

"You just like to flirt with me, Mr. Tringham." Winry teased, staying within Russell's warm embrace. He kissed her right cheek then nuzzled his face on to the contours of her milky neck.

"But it's true, Miss Rockbell. You look sexy wearing my military jacket." His words tickled her skin immediately, making her wiggle away from his embrace.

"Now don't get too cocky, Mr. State Alchemist. A charm like that will get you nowhere fast." She winked at him.

"Nowhere fast?" He smirked as he pulled her close to him one more time, bringing his hand up to her lace panties. "I think it's a little too late for that, don't you think?"

"I must admit, this charm did get you all cocky." She teased again as she extended her left hand so he could see the diamond engagement ring he just given her a month ago.

"You're damn right it did!" Russell smiled proudly. "The most beautiful and brightest woman in all Amestris said 'yes' to me."

Winry stared at the ring adorning her hand. The smile in her face dimmed a little when she thought about her upcoming wedding. Since she was a small child, she knew that getting married and having children was on her priority list —right beside becoming a master automail engineer— but she had dreamed this was going to happen alongside her first love.

"Still thinking about him?" Russell asked with a tinge of jealousy. He knew and had accepted years ago back when he first met Winry Rockbell that he would always come second when it came to Edward Elric.

"No." She retorted quickly, and it made her wonder if she was finally setting the ghost that was Edward Elric free. "Is Fletcher coming over to Resembool this weekend?"

Russell gave her a flat stare. Changing the subject was her biggest defense mechanism, and he hated when she used it on him. He chose to let it go, however. He was in far too good a mood to let such a thing cause an unneeded fight.

"R-Russell—!"

The blonde man's face changed from mildly annoyed to nervous confusion when he saw how Winry suddenly clenched at her chest and began panting. Her skin took a white pallor and he immediately realized that his fiancée was showing signs of shock.

"I can't breathe…" She gasped in desperation, feeling suffocated. "I can't stay here!" Absentmindedly, she dropped Russell's military jacket on the bedroom floor. She stumbled from their shared bedroom down the hall and across the kitchen, until she managed to get outside of the house. When she got out to the backyard, she immediately bent over and vomited.

Russell cursed his bad luck and immediately after he put his pajama pants on, he ran after her. Once he reached the kitchen door that connected with the backyard, he saw Den approaching Winry. The dog sniffed his fiancée, then whimpered in fear as she moved backward, her ears bent backwards and her tail between her legs.

"Winry!" Russell yelled in distress when he saw that she was walking away in a drunken manner. He stepped outside and began chasing her when the earth began shaking.

"An earthquake?" He muttered in disbelief while stumbling himself as he tried to maintain his own balance on the trembling surface.

An agonizing scream was heard coming out of Winry's mouth just before a transmutation circle carved the ground beneath her feet. Russell immediately ran towards the blonde woman but fell forward due to the unstable ground. From his position he looked up and saw that the transmutation circle was complete, and engulfed Winry in a strange blue light. He was about to call her name when the light dissipated. The blonde blinked, and blinked once more.

Winry was no longer standing on the transmutation circle.

He frantically looked around but didn't see her at all. She literally was nowhere to be found. He got up as fast as he could and ran the rest of the way towards the last place he saw his lover standing. The first thing Russell noticed was the intricate pattern scorched onto the ground. The blonde stepped away from the circle as he fisted his hair in disbelief. He had just witnessed his fiancée vanish into nothingness, and the only clue to her whereabouts lied on the scorched ground in front of him.

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**Earth, January 8, 1940 A.D — Five Minutes After The Experiment**

Edward sat stunned on one of the chairs in the control room, while Alphonse chewed out Wallace for not stopping the test when Wendy showed clear signs of distress. In his numb state, he had drowned out most of the conversation, but he did hear when Wallace told his brother that in fact they did try to stop the generators from reaching maximum capacity, but had found out that their codes didn't work after the activation point.

_'So Dee had deceived them all… but why? Did she wanted to die that bad?'_

He just kept staring at his feet while an empty feeling soon enveloped his insides. He hadn't felt such strong sense of loss since he first crashed into this goddamned world called 'Earth'. His thoughts went from self pity to how he could have prevented Wendy from committing an act that could easily be viewed as a suicide…

_'All she wanted was to stand apart from her… and for me to—'_

_"Omega point to Alpha point, come in Alpha point."_

Everyone in the control room stopped their yelling —and pretty much what they were doing— once the voice crackled through the radio.

_"Omega point to Alpha point, come in Alpha point, please come in Alpha point."_

Alphonse's mouth opened and closed before he scrambled to push the talk button on the radio. He cleared his throat before speaking. "This is Von Elric at Alpha point. What's your 10-36?" He let go of the button.

Edward looked at Alphonse with anticipation, waiting for a response from the target site.

_"At 2139 the systems activated on their own and… a subject had been extracted—"_

"What?" Alphonse muttered in confusion. "Can you 10-13 that last part?"

_"We extracted a subject from the landing pad. Over."_

Edward stood up when he saw the anxiety on Alphonse's face. He too was confused and worried with the cryptic message that was just received.

"Please 10-16 ASAP." Alphonse said into the radio then ran a nervous hand through his short hair.

The telephone rang soon after and Wallace picked up the receiver, passing it to Alphonse. "This is Alphonse Von Elric. I need details regarding the subject you've mentioned over the radio."

Edward held his breath with newfound hope as he waited for his younger brother to finish with the phone call. Alphonse was looking his way while he talked on the phone, but suddenly his demeanor became stiff, and he turned his back to him and this made Edward's heart beat fast.

"You're saying it's not Dr. Rockwell? Just stay put. I'll be right over in twenty." Alphonse hung up the phone and dragged a hand down his face. He turned around and met Edward's expecting eyes.

"What's wrong?" The older blonde immediately asked not even giving the younger a chance to speak.

"Apparently, an unconscious female suddenly materialized on the landing pad. A young female that is not Wendy, Ed." Alphonse shook his head trying to clear his mind. "I'm heading over the target site so I can assess the situation."

"I'm coming over with you." Edward interjected.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Brother." Alphonse turned around. "Wallace, please call the guard gate. Have Private Collins get us a car ready when we head out of the building."

Wallace nodded then both Edward and Alphonse headed out.

The ride to the target point had been awkward, but Edward was at least thankful that it had stopped raining. Edward and Alphonse both got out of the vehicle as fast as they could once they had reached their destination. They both were irritated by the security protocols at the target point, as only a select few knew of its location. Once cleared, Alphonse and Edward rushed inside the makeshift tent that served as a temporary facility, the same place where the mysterious woman was being held.

"Where's the female?" Alphonse asked one of the researchers, and she pointed towards the far end of the tent so they both headed that way.

Located in the far end of the tent was the small medical section, erected just in case of emergencies such as the current one. A military medic saluted Alphonse and let him in. Edward's civilian status prevented him from going inside, so he waited until clearance was granted to him.

"Brother…" Edward heard Alphonse say. He could tell by the tone of his voice that his younger brother was quite affected by what he was seeing.

Edward couldn't wait any longer —and ignoring the medic— he rushed passed the curtain that divided the medical section from the rest of the tent. His stomach bottomed out when he saw the unconscious female laying on the stretcher. The light blonde hair… the fair skin— his heart skipped a beat.

"It's Winry, Brother…" Alphonse said, voicing what he himself couldn't, wouldn't speak.

Wide golden eyes stared with shock and with awe at his childhood friend…

_'This couldn't be…'_

He looked at his younger brother who by now had the lines of distress clearly written on his face, a look he knew he was also donning. "She shouldn't be here… Fuck!"

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A/N: **Touka Koukan +1.** So remember to review! By reviewing you're not only honoring all those long hours it took me to research and write a chapter but you're also honoring my beta who also takes away from her busy time to dutifully polish this story.


	3. Two

A/N: **Changed rating to M** due to all the adult situations happening and on the verge of happening during the course of this story.

I want to thank my beta and collaborator ZilSepam for all her help and insight for this story.

Enjoy!

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**2  
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**Amestris, Continental Calendar June 8, 1919 — Five Minutes After Winry's Disappearance**

Russell kept pacing around the perimeter of the transmutation circle, not taking his eyes away from the ghastly array, not even for a single moment. He stopped abruptly only to cross his arms in front of his bare chest. With anxiety quickly building, he felt the necessity of taking some deep, steadying breaths; those breaths soon led to the tapping of his left arm with his right index finger. The soothing tactile stimulation always seemed to keep anxiety and panic at bay. He desperately needed to keep such feelings dormant to find Winry at all costs.

Now that he got a hold of his nerves, Russell finally decided that it was time to begin the analysis of the array.

The blonde knelt down, heels slightly raised to maintain balance and hands clasped onto his knees. It was a good thing it was summer, because the setting sun provided just enough light for him to dissect the eerie transmutation circle. He brought his right hand down to touch the scorched grass and, to his surprise, it wasn't scorched at all. In fact, the grass blades felt impossibly fresh, much like the ones surrounding the circle. Russell immediately wondered if the chlorophyll within the plant cells had somehow become altered by the alchemical reaction. He took a mental note that he needed to acquire a small sample to confirm his suspicions. After much scrutiny of the grass and the soil, the blonde finally stood up. He took two long steps back and began studying the overall design of the array. He started with the outer circle, and noticed that it enclosed what looked liked two interposed triangular shapes, these triangles at the same time created a star shape to the likes he had never seen before. The four symbols that denoted an alchemical process were present, right along with the moon and sun symbols. Absentmindedly, he bit his lower lip while his brows slowly knitted together, denoting his escalating worry. He was sure that the array was designed to perform some sort of human transmutation, but the way it was rendered was… wrong.

Stepping farther away from the aberration, Russell let out that shuddering breath he had been keeping locked inside. He finally admitted to himself that he didn't understand at all the forces that created the transmutation circle which took Winry away from him.

Out of nowhere, the ground began shaking again. Utter disbelief stunned him as he fell backwards and when he hit the ground, he stayed on the ground, his mind trying to catch up with the new event unfolding around him. The blonde only shifted his body into a kneeling position when he noticed the same glowing blue light emerging from the transmutation circle. As he knelt, he saw the array activating but unlike the last time, Russell felt the hairs of his head stand on end. Once the blinding light flickered away, he managed to make out a human figure laying still on center of the circle. He stood up, stumbling a little as he lifted his body into an erect position.

The blonde approached the circle very slowly at first because he was still feeling the disorienting effects caused by the quake. A sense of pure relief coursed through him when he managed to distinguish the unmistakable shape of his fiancée.

"Winry?"

His heart quickened when she didn't respond to his calling. Immediately he thought of the worst and rushed by her side just in case he needed to administer first aid. When he entered the circle, he saw that she was laying sideways, with her back towards him. His stomach recoiled when he noticed that 'Winry' had dark hair —a darker shade of blonde— and that fact made him stop dead on his tracks. Russell shook his head, wondering if it was the twilight playing tricks on him so he walked next to the still body and knelt gently beside her. His heart skipped a beat the moment he saw that the woman was fully clothed. At a distance he had mistaken the woman's white lab coat for his dress shirt. The blonde couldn't help breathing heavily when he reached to the painful conclusion that the woman laying in that circle was not Winry at all. Russell gulped his emerging anxiety down his throat before placing a firm hand on the unconscious woman's shoulder —and in one swift movement— he turned her around.

"What the hell!"

He couldn't believe his eyes.

"W-Winry?"

The blonde quickly pulled his hand away from the woman's body as if it burned to the touch. The woman… the woman looked so much like Winry, just like Winry would look years from now. He quickly looked around to see if it was some sort of trickery, an illusion created by some sick alchemist that wanted to get to him —to get to them— but he only saw the the approaching the first signs of the night. His gray eyes flickered from the desperation that he was experiencing. The blonde stared again at the serene face of the Winry-look-alike when he caught a glimpse of a light source to his right flank. His body became taut, preparing itself for a possible confrontation.

"Is that you, Russell?"

The blonde quickly recognized farmer William's voice coming from behind the bright oil lamp.

"Yeah…"

"Are you both ok?" The good-natured man asked while he approached the couple. "Who is that woman?" He looked around the area to see if Winry was around but couldn't see her.

"Boy, where's Winry?" He asked sternly, unusual hard eyes narrowing as he looked down at the blonde.

Russell could see the man was getting gradually hostile with him. He knew that William had become Winry's overseer since Pinako's death so it wasn't strange that he would become over zealous of her welfare, and finding him kneeling next to a complete stranger while wearing nothing but his pajama pants didn't help to make the situation any better… but there was no time for explanations.

"Let's talk later, Will." He looked again at the unconscious woman. "I think she might be hurt. Please help me carry her inside."

The farmer hesitated for a moment but complied after seeing the clear desperation marked on the blonde's pleading eyes.

oo-OOO-oo

Roy had to admit that it had been a good Sunday(1). He managed to clean his apartment, make lunch and dinner, walk around the streets of Central out of his military uniform and was even able to catch the evening matinee. Now that he was back home, he began feeling the effects of a hectic yet productive day off. He placed the keys next to the telephone table and started to take his shoes off. Roy was bending over to pick up the expensive pair of shoes when the telephone broke the pleasant silence inside the apartment with its annoying ringing. He didn't know why but the ringtone of that telephone always seem to grate on his nerves. He let out a sigh, immediately thinking that he should get a new phone, one that wasn't too bothersome to the eardrums. The older man straightened up —leaving the pair of shoes on the floor— and picked up the receiver. He could feel the muscles of his face conform into his usual stern look.

"Brigadier General Mustang, speaking." He might as well use his commanding voice since he knew very well that the call was work-related, nowadays all calls were work-related.

_"Sir, where have you been? I've been trying to get a hold of you for the past hour."_

Roy couldn't understand why it amused him when Riza sounded worried about his welfare. He closed his good eye and smirked. "What else is there to do on a Sunday other than to go out on a date, Major?"

A few seconds passed by before he heard Riza's clipped tone over the line._ "You don't date anymore, Sir."_

"Observant as always, Major." Roy replied with a bitter smile that she could not see. He still liked to reminisce about the good old days when he had an exclusive agenda just to keep track of the women he was dating. Now that agenda was collecting dust somewhere in the far confines of a storage room, because what woman in her right mind would want to date a disfigured man?

"So what's the motive of the urgency?" He asked, pushing away the images of his forlorn past as he engaged in the present conversation.

_"At 2134 hours East City's National Earthquake Information Center relayed a message to headquarters that an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.5 and a depth of 2 miles had been recorded in the Resembool region.(2)"_

"O—Kay. That's a pretty average quake… Did it caused any sort of trouble?"

_"Not at all Sir, but at 2139 another 4.5 quake hit the exact same area at the same depth."_

"That's strange… Have any reports of damages been recorded?"

_"No Sir, but eye witness testimonies sent along with the main report, mention that people saw a strange blue light coming from the lands owned by the Rockbell's—"_

"The automail engineer's?"

_"…and friends to the Elrics."_ She reiterated.

"…interesting…"

_"There's more. The blue light was spotted seconds after each tremor."_

Roy didn't like what he just heard. Immediately he thought of the neighboring Eastern countries and a possible connection with unknown alchemical weaponry.

_"It could be a new type of technology, Sir."_ He heard Riza say on the phone, validating his suspicions.

"I need the Rockbell's telephone number. Right now the Emerald Alchemist is staying with Miss Rockbell. He can fill us in on what's going on."

_"Yes, Sir."_

They hung up.

Roy closed his eye and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to ease the tension headache that threatened to ravage his poor head, neck and shoulders. The phone call had definitely left a nasty taste in his mouth. Amestris had been politically volatile since the fall of the Bradley regime and many threats had been made from all surrounding countries —with Drachma and Xing on the top of the list— and the fact that a possible alchemical denotation could have happened within the Eastern region of the country, led him to believe that the Xingese might be up to no good.

_'If only the current führer wasn't such a spineless puppet—'_

The telephone rang again and Roy picked it up fast. "Brigadier General Mustang, speaking."

_"This is the Emerald Alchemist reporting to you from Resembool, Sir."_

Roy wasn't expecting a call from his subordinate…

"Wait." He remembered that the line was unsecured. "Give me the phone number and I'll call you back."

_"It's 78-720-9990-12. I'll wait for the call, sir."_ Russell responded then hanged up the phone.

Roy heard the click, but out of habit, he also hanged up his phone. He picked it up again and proceeded to dial headquarters. He had the operator establish a secure line to be connected with Rockbell Automail. The older man didn't have to wait long for the connection to be established and the telephone didn't ring more than once before Major Tringham picked it up.

_"Emerald Alchemist, speaking."_

"What's the situation in Resembool?" Roy said, straight to the point.

_"I guess you've already been informed about the earthquakes, Sir."_ Russell answered while staring at the unconscious woman that now laid on the maintenance chair at the automail shop. He rubbed the back of his neck and rocked his head from side to ride, the situation was clearly taking a strenuous toll on his body.

"I was informed of the sudden appearance of a blueish light near Rockbell Automail."

_"That is correct, sir… about that, well… this will sound crazy, but a transmutation circle appeared just after the first tremor, right under Winry Rockbell's feet, then she disappeared."_ Mustang could sense the Alchemist scowling at the end of his words, being powerless over the entire situation.

The line went silent for a moment. Roy just couldn't believe what he just heard. 'The strange event revolved around Miss Rockbell?' At least one thing was clear now and it was that Xing didn't appear to be involved, but then…

"Is safe to assume that Miss Rockbell is still nowhere to be found?"

_"That is correct…"_

The tone that his subordinate had used, led Roy to believe that there was more to the situation.

_"As you know, there was a second earthquake…"_ Russell continued, _"…and the transmutation circle activated again, then an unconscious woman appeared inside of the array where Winry was last seen."_

Russell's eyebrows furrowed while he took in the disturbing resemblance that the woman had to his fiancée. _"The woman is not Winry, sir, but she closely resembles her."_

The older man pinched the bridge of his nose for a second time. "So you're telling me that this woman is not Winry but a doppelgänger of sorts?" He thought of using the word "homunculus" but didn't.

_"I guess that would be an educated guess for the situation at hand, sir."_ Russell answered as he himself hadn't look at it from that angle.

_'Damn.'_ Roy cursed his luck. Why did he always seem to be involved in extraordinary situations? Didn't he have plenty from being involved with the Elric brothers— The invasion from the other world that happened two years ago suddenly popped into his mind. The headache he was holding at bay just nestled in quite nicely.

"Major Tringham. Don't speak to anyone about what happened and keep that woman in hiding. I'll ride on the next available train to Resembool."

_"Understood sir…"_

Roy felt hesitancy on his subordinate's words. "What is it, Major?"

_"A neighboring farmer came over and he—"_

"Say no more. Just ask for his discretion. I'll have a talk with him once I arrive at the destination."

_"…Will do, Sir."_

The phone line went blank.

Roy gingerly placed the receiver back in its place. He ran a hand across his hair then placed it on his hip. He narrowed his dark eyes while self-doubt strongly coursed through his mind.

_'Do we have another inter-planetary invasion at hand?'_ That thought led to an even darker one. _'What if I failed at sealing the connection to the other world?'_

Roy quickly shook the thought away. He needed to stay strong and with a clear head to deal with the situation at hand. The older man glanced at the telephone and remembered that Riza was going to call him back.

Roy decided that a strong drink was in order while he waited for her call.

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**Earth, January 22, 1940 A.D.**

Edward unscrewed the cap from the expensive bottle of brandy and refilled his favorite old fashioned tumbler. He stared at it through glassy eyes. The tumbler had been a simple gift from his younger brother to celebrate their first anniversary together on Earth. He chuckled at how ironic it had been that his own brother gifted him something that he would entirely regret with the pass of time. At the time it had been a well-meant gift, because Alphonse had soon learned that alcohol was Edward's solace, the balm for withstanding "the experience" that Earth had been for him since he first broke through the Gate.

The blonde turned around and stumbled a little as he made his way back to the expensive leather chair. He stood next to it and couldn't help to glare again at the engagement ring —the ring he took off from Winry's hand the day she arrived at his estate— which rested neatly on the luxurious ebony desk. He lifted the tumbler to his lips and chugged down a good portion of the strong spirit, clumsily spilling some of it on his scruffy beard and untidy dress shirt. He scrunched his face as the liquid slowly burned down his throat, making its way into his entrails. The blonde was somewhat surprised that the brandy hadn't numbed his abused insides already. Pushing all thoughts aside about his borderline alcoholism, he decided to pick up the ring between his thumb and index finger as he plopped on to the leather seat, elevating his feet and comfortably placing them on the wood desktop.

Edward looked at the ring with disdain. The beautiful gold ring was set with a single princess-cut diamond of a decent size. Quite frankly, Winry's ring was all that any woman could want on an engagement ring, but…

_'Whoever gave her that ring is a complete idiot.'_

"You…" He said, now speaking to the ring, "…needed to be a simple band…"

He twisted the ring on his fingers. _'Scratch that… maybe a diamond could have been alchemically embedded so it laid flushed against the surface. That way it wouldn't interfere with her automail work…'_

Inevitably, his inebriated thoughts took him to the last time he saw Winry working on automail, _his_ automail. He remembered how Winry had the look of a person who had wised considerably during his two years of absence from Amestris. As always, Winry had amazed him when she brought out two new pieces of automail from the heavy-looking case she was carrying… automail custom made for his young adult body. It had been the first time in his life that a re-attachment hadn't hurt significantly and he still thought it was so because he was just too focused memorizing the face of the woman that he was going to —needed to— leave behind. He remembered quite vividly how he almost faltered in his initial resolution when she had hugged him, because he had suddenly realized how much he had longed for her. It still pained him that he had to sacrifice another part of himself, that latent part that had screamed at him how much he had loved Winry Rockbell ever since he can remember.

A glint coming off the diamond ring brought him back to the bitter present. Focusing his full attention back to the ring made him think about the night he saw Winry for the first time —after seventeen years— as she laid unconscious on the stretcher over at the medic station. It had shocked him quite a bit to see that Winry hadn't aged much, in fact she looked just as beautiful as she had looked the last time they saw each other, but what had really shocked him was the state she was found when she came crashing into this world.

Winry came to Earth just wearing only a white dress shirt, lace panties and that odious engagement ring he kept holding in his flesh hand. That fact made him somewhat uncomfortable with himself because he had to admit that Winry had been torn away from what he assumed was a rather intimate moment. One with the idiot that gave her that damned diamond ring. Not only was he feeling uncomfortable, he was also feeling irritated because it was clear that Winry got involved with someone from the military. After all, she was wearing HIS military-issued dress shirt.

_'Why would she do that?'_ He knew very well that Winry hated anything that had to do with the military, still… _'Winry had moved on… she was going to get married.'_

Maybe it was the alcohol pumping through his veins, but the thought of Winry living a life without him had upset him more than it should.

"Brother?"

Alphonse peeked inside Edward's study and found his older brother sitting by the desk with his feet on top of the wooden surface. He couldn't help but to notice that Edward was sporting a deep, almost mournful look on an already tired face. "Hey… how are you—?"

The younger blonde saw something shining pinched between Edward's flesh fingers.

"Edward! What the hell do you think you're doing? That's not yours!" He had recognized that the shine came from Winry's diamond engagement ring.

Alphonse immediately closed the gap between them with the intent on taking the ring from Edward's grasp, but once he got near, he had a good look of his brother's red rimmed and glassy eyes. He got angry when he fixed his eyes on the almost empty tumbler sitting next to Edward.

"Goddammit Ed!" Alphonse leaned over the desk and took the glass away from him. He got angrier when he distinguished that the glass Edward had been drinking from was the same damned tumbler he got for him decades ago.

"How is she doing?" Edward croaked.

Alphonse became solemnly quiet, his older brother's question had caught him by surprise.

"She's still unresponsive." Alphonse answered flatly.

It was a good thing that Alphonse had decided to place the glass back in the liquor cabinet, otherwise he would have been privy to his older brother's pain-stricken face.

Edward had taken his feet off from the desk and was now staring vacantly across the room. An uncomfortable silence soon surrounded the study for what seemed like an eternity.

"Thirteen days…" Edward said, breaking the deafening silence around them. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly on top of the desk, the feeling of powerlessness suffocated the rest of his words.

Alphonse narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

"It's been fifteen days, Ed, but of course you wouldn't know that because all you've been doing lately is hiding behind the bottle." He couldn't help at how chastising the words had sounded when they came out of his mouth.

Edward just couldn't meet Alphonse's eyes. As always his younger brother was right. He had been shamelessly hiding in his study since the day after Winry's appearance on Earth, avoiding THAT reality by drowning it with alcohol. He only had come to her assigned room twice, the first time was to make sure that the medical staff was taking good care of her, and the second time was to take the ring off her hand with an excuse that it might get 'misplaced' while she emerged from the coma.

"Do you think she will ever wake up?" Edward said out loud, the words sounding like an afterthought.

Alphonse frowned and crossed his arms while giving some thought to Edward's words. "I don't know, Brother, but I sure hope she does."

Edward placed the ring inside his shirt pocket then pushed the chair away from the desk and stood up. He walked around the desk just to lean against it, his hands curled around the edge of the wooden surface. "We need to find a way to return her to Amestris if she does wake up."

"Why do you say 'if', Ed?" Alphonse was confused by Edward's words. "Don't you want her to wake up?"

"You know very well why I said that." The wood made a creaking sound as it gave way to the pressure from Edward's automail hand when he squeezed the desk tightly. "…and to better answer your question, 'no', I don't want her to wake up."

"That's very selfish of you, Brother…" Alphonse replied with a harsh whisper.

"I don't care, Al!" He brushed his oily bangs away from his face. "…this way we can keep her from harm." He muttered while fixing his eyes on the floor.

Alphonse closed his eyes for a brief moment. He placed his hands on his hips before speaking.

"Edward you might be wrong about what the Gate showed you." His frank words didn't sit well with Edward.

"Don't you fucking dare say that!" He yelled while pointing angrily at his brother. "You saw it too! You told me yourself!"

"That doesn't mean it will happen!" Alphonse responded in his defense.

"I had to see 'it' twice!" He put two fingers in the air, "Twice goddammit! The message was fucking clear—" He stopped mid sentence and slowly frowned.

_'It has to be…'_ The pull he felt in his heart was becoming too much to bear.

Edward let his hand fall by his side, the alcohol had finally taken its depressant effects on his exhausted body.

Alphonse walked over to where Edward was standing. He placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and squeezed at it slightly. He also worried about Winry's fate but he was the optimistic Elric and that how he wanted it to stay.

"Ed?" Hazel eyes locked on to amber. "You yourself know that the future is composed of many outcomes playing out at the same time(3). Let's see how things go from here on." He patted Edward's shoulder and smiled.

"Oh, and one more thing. Why don't you fix yourself a little? You're starting to look and smell like a vagabond." He walked away and towards the bookshelf on the far end of the study room. "Besides… you wouldn't want Winry to see you in such a sorry shape now do you, Brother?"

Edward fumed upon hearing Alphonse's words and he got even madder when he gave him a mocking smile.

"Fine!" He raised his hands up in the air. "I'll take care of it today."

oo-OOO-oo

Edward was tying up his long locks in the usual ponytail when he heard two loud knocks on the door.

"Master Edward, are you decent?"

The older blonde chuckled when he heard Mavis' matronly voice. He combed through the ponytail with his fingers before walking over to let the jolly house maid in his room.

"Hi, Mavis." He looked at the coffee tray that the dark-skinned woman carried with her. The aroma of the black liquid was already lifting his sour mood.

Edward stepped aside and let wide set woman in. She walked towards the small coffee table placed by the window of the ample master bedroom and gently set the tray upon it. "French roasted coffee from Louisiana(4), black and strong, just the way you like it, sir."

Edward smiled with gratitude. "Did you make it yourself, Mavis?"

"Yes, Sir! The young master said that you needed a… pick-me-up? I think that's how he referred to a 'nasty hangover' remedy."

He let out a nervous laugh after hearing her words. "That I do. Thank you, Mavis."

"You're welcome, Sir." Edward thought that her ample smile always seem to light up any room.

The house maid headed towards the door and stopped just before stepping out of the room. "Master Edward?" She said when she turned around.

"Yes, Mavis?" He replied, cup on hand.

"You look even more handsome with that Van Dyke." She gestured the combing of a beard as she showed her pearly whites.

"Stop flirting with me, Mavis." Edward could feel his cheeks burning. "I'm a married man."

"Mm, mm, mm. It's a damn shame too." She blinked at him before closing the door behind her.

Edward took a quick sip of the hot liquid then placed it down on the tray. He brushed his flesh hand against the beard and shook his head before letting out a sigh.

_"Well good!" Alphonse had said to him while he flipped the pages of one of his tomes about aerodynamics. He had turned around to put the book back when he began to look around the room as if he was looking for something._

_"Brother… where are Trisha and Ben's pictures?"_

_Edward flinched slightly at the mention of his children. "I took the photographs down, Alphonse."_

_The younger blonde glared at him from the other side of the room. "You can't hide your life from her, Ed!"_

_Edward's eyes narrowed. "Don't misinterpret my intentions, Alphonse." He said with his big brother voice._

_"Then please explain yourself, Edward!"_

_It was a rare treat to see Alphonse so angry._

_"How do you think she'll react the moment she wakes up in a complete strange place that's far away from her homeland?"_

_"We will be there to ease the shock, Ed."_

_"That would be easy if we looked like our young selves, Al. I'm fucking thirty-four years old, soon to be thirty-five, and you are twenty-eight. Think of the psychological impact that will have on her."_

_Alphonse's anger deflated rapidly. "I didn't think about that…"_

_"Well thankfully I did… besides… how do you think she will handle the fact that Patricia physically resembles her and that Benjamin is a spitting image of Urey?"_

_Edward began walking to the door but stopped midway. With hands on hips, he turned around and looked at Alphonse in the eyes. "I mean, that's probably how Winry's children would have turned out if we would have gotten married…"_

_The lump in his throat made him stop._

_Alphonse grimaced. He definitely felt Edward's pain in that last statement._

_Edward turned around walked to the door, stopping underneath the threshold. "I'll tell her about the kids… about Wendy… when I think is the right time, given that she wakes up at all."_

_"Sure Ed. Whatever you need to do… I'll support your decision."_

_Alphonse's glassy yet reassuring eyes helped lighten his load, even if the effect was not long-lasting. _

He kept rubbing the coarse facial hair. It really was the first time he had decided to try a new look.

_'This appearance will be easier on Winry's eyes.'_

Edward finished his coffee with images of Winry's beautiful smile hanging in the back of his mind.

He stood up from the lounge chair and walked towards the nightstand where he had left Winry's ring before stepping into the shower. The blonde picked it up and looked at it with newfound resentment before placing it into one of his pant pockets.

_'At least the ring will give me an excuse to go visit her.'_

Edward ignored the small smile that spread across his face when thinking about his childhood sweetheart.

oo-OOO-oo

Edward rapped on the door of the room on the far end of the large estate. It was the biggest guest room that the old colonial manor had. He was told by Wendy herself that the room had belonged to her great grandfather, a lieutenant who fought at Balls Bluff(5) during the Civil War. The Confederate's had won that battle, thanks to the small contribution he had made, even though little credit had been given to him for helping to the cause.

He heard steps getting close to the door and the friendly face of the nurse in duty peeked from behind the door.

"Hello, Mr. Von Elric. It's a surprise to see you around here."

"Hi, Nurse McCarty." He said in a sheepish tone. "I'm here to see the patient."

"So you're here to see our Sleeping Beauty?"

The short, elderly nurse grinned wide. For some reason the nurse's grin had the same annoying effects that Aunt Pinako's grin used to have on him.

"Yes, Mary. I'm here to admire the fair lady's beauty." He answered with all sincerity.

"Ok, sir." She looked back at the bed where Winry laid peacefully asleep. "I needed a cigarette break anyway."

The nurse opened the door and Edward stepped in. She walked behind him and went past him to grab her purse. "She's been cleaned today and nurse Williams went through the exercise routine(6) with her."

Edward felt a pang of heartache. It wasn't easy accepting the severe debilitating effects that coma can bring to its sufferers. He fixed his golden eyes on her peaceful looking face and wished with all his might that she would not suffer any long term disabilities, if she ever emerged from the coma. Without taking his eyes off her, he sat in the chair next to the bed.

"Thanks for letting me know." He said in a low voice, almost like a whisper.

"Sure thing." She replied solemnly, gently closing the door behind her.

Edward shoulders slouched when he heard the door close. He sighed while looking at Winry's serene features. A small smile appeared on his face. "You sure look like a fairy tale princess…"

Edward got closer. He just couldn't believe how young she looked. For all he knew she could have been snapped away from Amestris just minutes after he had left her, never to return by her side. His brows knitted together from thinking about the painful memory. A gamut of 'what if's' suddenly invaded his mind and put weight upon his aching heart. Remorse was a cold bitch.

He shifted a little on the chair while he took out the engagement ring he had previously taken from her, almost two weeks ago. The blonde looked at it one last time then he took Winry's hand between his.

"I'm so sorry, Win… for everything." His words came from the heart.

Edward slid the ring back into Winry's finger.

_'It should have been me the one to have placed a ring on your finger in the first place.'_

He closed his eyes tightly and stifled the sob that threatened to escape from his already constricted throat. Suddenly, Edward felt a squeeze from the hand that he was holding. His eyes snapped open and quickly looked at Winry.

Edward's gaze became impossibly wide as blue orbs met gold.

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A/N: **Touka Koukan +1.** So remember to review! By reviewing you're not only honoring all those long hours it took me to research and write a chapter but you're also honoring my beta who also takes away from her busy time to dutifully polish this story.

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References

(1) June 8, 1919 landed on a Sunday.

(2) Terminology taken from USGS website.

(3) A loose reference to Schrodinger's Cat.

(4) Reference to the coffee served at Café Du Monde in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

(5) A decisive battle during the American Civil War were the Confederate's won.

(6) Comatose patients are given exercises to help keep some muscle tone in the effort to help the patient against the debilitating effects of being confined to a bed.


	4. Three

A/N: I want to thank my beta and collaborator ZilSepam for all her help and insight for this story.

Enjoy!

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**3  
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**Amestris, Continental Calendar June 9, 1919**

It had started out as an awkward day, Major Riza Hawkeye just knew it to be true. Even the echo of her strides against the over polished tile floor felt odd as she walked down the ample hallway. For all she knew, it could be just her nerves finally getting to her; filling her with excessive worry and taking her mind to a level of sensitivity that left her uncomfortable.

She had been feeling that way since her last conversation with her superior, after he confided in her about the discovery of a mysterious woman in the middle of an even more mysterious transmutation circle. Soon after, Roy entrusted her to take the reigns of the team until the he came back with accurate news from the eastern region.

After a subtle yet senseless hesitation to open the office door, auburn eyes scanned the room and quickly locked on Master Sergeant Kain Fuery. He was working alongside Warrant Officer Vato Falman, trying to decode a Drachman message extracted through covert channels. She blinked slowly and shifted her gaze to the other side of the room. First Lieutenant Heymans Breda and Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc were busy typing reports about the sting operation involving Auregan immigrants and their illegal trading in the Warehouse District. Seeing how the loyal men of Roy Mustang were working so diligently and efficiently made her confidence return threefold.

"Good morning." She said out loud and everybody saluted in return as she walked across the office and to her assigned work space.

"You're unusually late, Major." Jean pointed out, his words laced with both curiosity and concern.

Riza grabbed a large stack of papers from the inbox tray and sat down. She glanced through the papers before setting her eyes on Havoc.

"I was at the train station, seeing off the Brigadier General."

Upon hearing her words, the rest of the men stopped what they were doing and focused their full attention on the conversation.

"Oh?" Jean raised his eyebrows. "So, you finally sent him packing?" His cigarette tilted upwards along with his teasing smile.

"Not at all, Lieutenant." She retorted. "He just went to meet with the Emerald Alchemist in Resembool."

Riza returned her attention to the stack laying on top of her desk and began sorting the papers by category.

Jean's cigarette almost fell from his bottom lip.

"So the kid finally messed up?"

Breda, who was sitting next to him, slapped him on the shoulder with his own stack of papers.

"C'mon man! The kid is as saint as they come." The stout man leaned back on his chair, making it creak from the weight placed on it.

Jean chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Well, he's no Fullmetal." Fuery added from across the room while Falman nodded in agreement.

…and just like that, all that diligence and efficiency that Mustang's men were initially executing, vanished into thin air. The Major's eyebrows twitched angrily while she ran a finger across her gun's trigger.

"One thing I can tell you…" Jean said, now pointing a fountain pen at Breda, "I bet that the Chief wishes '_he'_ was more like the Boss—"

—_bang_.

The bullet had blown part of Havoc's pen, the remaining portion of the wounded article began leaking onto the blonde's hand and the tile floor.

"Enough chitchat."

Behind the gun smoke, piercing auburn eyes warned the four soldiers to shut up and continue working as before.

Diligence and efficiency reigned anew.

"So what kind of 'surprise' is awaiting the Brigadier General over at Resembool?" Breda asked after everyone had settled down.

The Major glanced at him then returned her eyes to the requisition form in her hands. Roy had said to her to let the team know of what had happened in Resembool the night before… she closed her eyes momentarily, worry taking over her mind once again as she thought of the potential danger that quiet, little town might be getting into.

"Yesterday, at dusk, a report came in about two separate incidents of seismic activity in the Resembool region." She paused, then stood up and walked over to the windows. "Both tremors had the same intensity and depth, and alchemical reactions were also present with each quake."

"So the Chief suspects that an alchemist is responsible for what happened in Resembool?" Jean asked with a serious tone.

"Something like that. He…" She frowned.

_"Riza, I'm heading on the first available train to Resembool. A mysterious woman appeared on a transmutation circle after the second quake… we might have another homunculus in our hands."_

"He wants to make sure that there are no new threats to our nation."

"How commendable…"

Everyone turned their heads to see where the source of the voice was coming from and spotted General Hakuro standing inside the office, between the door and next to one of the planters.

"Sir!" Riza turned around and saluted, everyone else followed suit.

She had tried to immediately conceal her initial surprise but the General had already seen through her facade.

"At ease." Hakuro said, and everyone —except for the Major— returned to their seats.

The older man strode across the room, just stopping a few feet shy from the blonde-haired soldier. He looked at her with sharp eyes.

"Major Hawkeye, may I have a talk with you in private?" He finished his words with a knowing smile.

"Of course, Sir." She replied in a clipped, uneasy tone.

Hakuro walked past her and entered Roy's office as if it was his own, such defiant act let Riza know that the man was going to use all of his authority on her. She took a steadying breath and followed the General. She hated being interrogated, but at least it gave her the opportunity to find out how much the old bat really knew about the situation in Resembool.

"Please close the door, Major." The Major General said while he fiddled with a miniature military flag that stood on top of Roy's desk.

Riza did as she was told; not taking her eyes away from the older man, not even for a moment. She didn't trust the Major General. There were too many horror stories about how he managed the revolt in Liore, especially about his questionable practices when it came down to treating women. Roy had told her about the torture and rape accusations against him and his men, accusations that conveniently vanished during the ensuing chaos of the assassination of Führer King Bradley.

The blonde pursed her lips and fisted her hands as she waited for her superior to touch on the Resembool subject.

Hakuro had leaned on the desk, crossing his arms in the process. He took a long look at the Major before a misogynistic smirk crossed his thin lips.

He uncrossed his right arm and pointed to the nearest chair. "Sit down, please."

Riza shivered slightly when she heard the command. She hated how the man stressed the last word, making it sound so viperine; confident that he had his prey exactly where he wanted. She hesitated for a moment, but followed the order.

"Good girl." Hakuro said as the Major sat down.

Riza remained silent, ignoring the condescending comment, and stared into his cold eyes while she waited for the questioning to begin.

The Major General was now fiddling with his nails, not looking at Riza as he began engaging in conversation with her.

"My sources contacted me last night and reported that a rather peculiar 'incident' happened in the eastern region of the country."

He pushed himself off from the desk and began walking slowly towards her.

"They also told me that a transmutation occurred in the hills of the town known as Resembool…"

He walked past her left side and quickly disappeared from her sight. She hated that her heart was suddenly betraying her —by beating faster— as it gave into the creep's scare tactic.

"…and early this morning, I was treated to a memo from General Mathews stating that Brigadier General Mustang had requested a special permit to travel to that cozy little town— what was its name again?"

"Resembool." She replied dryly.

"Ah yes… Resembool."

Riza could feel the man's sneer clinging to her back. Hakuro now appeared on her peripheral vision as he walked to her right side.

"So a thought came to mind. Why would a superior officer be interested on a field mission to a backwards town unless there was some sort of 'spoil' discovered… a spoil he wants to keep all to himself?"

Hakuro was now standing in front of her, staring down at her. Suddenly he leaned forward, placing a hand on each armrest, successfully pinning her in place. It took all of her concentration just to keep up a calm facade because she didn't want to treat the man with any signs of weakness and fear.

"You are his right hand." He smiled derisively. "I'm sure he told you what's awaiting him there… So, what is he trying to hide, Major?"

He had been so close that Riza literarily felt each and every one of his words touch her face, such act made her sick to her stomach…

"The Brigadier General just wants to make sure that foreign weaponry wasn't used against our country, Sir."

Her nostrils were flaring with anger as she finished her words.

"The Emerald Alchemist is currently stationed in Resembool. I'm sure he could have conducted the assessment himself." The man retorted.

"Major Russell Tringham did assess the situation." She replied truthfully. "But what he found was beyond his capabilities as an alchemist and the Flame Alchemist is well-versed in dealing with elaborate arrays."

She glared at him and he backed off.

"So there is a real threat from our eastern neighbors?"

Riza straightened her posture as she regained her composure. "That's the theory, Sir."

The Major General stood in place, processing the extracted information. Riza Hawkeye had just corroborated what his private sources relayed to him.

"It would be disastrous to see our great country engaged in war."

He cleared his throat and walked towards the exit.

"That is all, Major."

Riza stood up and led a shuddering breath escape her lips once she heard the man's steps disappear out of the office. She moved to Roy's desk to put back in place the flag that the old creep had fiddled with. Her eyes narrowed, mind distant as she gathered her thoughts. She hadn't felt this vulnerable since having to survive the hell that had been the Ishbalan War. At least the man didn't know anything, of that she was sure. Otherwise, in his power trip, Hakuro would have hinted that he knew about the Jane Doe. Still…

"How are you holding there, Major?"

Riza jumped in place, she was not expecting Jean to walk in unannounced, but smiled inwardly. Leave it to the goofy Lieutenant to come in and comfort her.

"I'm ok, Lieutenant."

"Oh, I know, Major." He smiled at her. "So how hard do we need to work to keep the Chief's ass from getting into trouble?"

The comment made her crack a smile. "Very hard."

"Thought so… by the way, do you need Fuery to relay 'Him' a message?"

"No." Her smile disappeared quickly once Hakuro's image came back to the front of her mind. "I'll inform the Brigadier General of what's transpired when he comes back."

**oo-OOO-oo**

Roy couldn't believe his eyes, his subordinate hadn't been exaggerating when he said that the Jane Doe resembled Miss Rockbell to the minute detail. Still, he couldn't avoid the surreal feeling that gripped his mind just from looking at that woman.

The Emerald Alchemist had greeted him with the discovery of the woman's identity when he reached Rockbell Automail that evening. His young subordinate had found a military-issued ID card inside one of the pockets of the woman's lab coat. The words "United States Uniformed Services" quickly caught his attention and confirmed that the woman was indeed a "walk-in" from the other world, and not a homunculus as he initially thought.

Major Tringham's lost and confused expression dug a soft spot in him, so he decided to sit down with the blonde in order to explain why the woman had an ID unlike any seen in Amestris, or in any part of the world for that matter. Roy debriefed to him the classified information about what had really happened two years ago in Central City. He confessed that the flying ships seen all over the city were not of Drachman origins, as the media machine had led the public to believe, but in fact it had been alien technology from a parallel world that managed to cross into Amestris using a gigantic transmutation circle that resided in the depths of the Underground City. He also spoke about the sudden reappearance of Fullmetal, and of how the short alchemist planned to stop the invaders from the other world. Roy ended the debriefing by explaining how he had used his own flame alchemy to destroy the gigantic array on their side. The outlandish information didn't make his subordinate feel any better, on the contrary, it had left the him stunned and distant.

"Her name is Wendy Rockwell." Russell whispered, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had permeated the room. "Even her name is similar…"

The blonde exhaled and looked Roy's way.

"Do you think that place is a replica of our world?"

Russell's apathetic voice made the older man wonder if the current situation was affecting him more than he led on.

"It's a possibility…" He answered, trying to ease the Major's pain.

The Brigadier General looked again at the intruder's ID. He glanced at the woman's picture before flipping the card over to reread the information written on its back.

oOo

Wendy Ann Rockwell

DATE OF BIRTH: 1902MAR14

WEIGHT: 130

HEIGHT: 61

EYE COLOR: GR

DATE OF ISSUE: 1939NOV09

PROPERTY OF US GOVERNMENT

oOo

He narrowed his eyes, the information on the card didn't make sense. The current year was 1919…

_'Is there also a time gap between both worlds?'_ He wondered—

"Do you think Winry is alright in that other world?"

Russell's out-of-the-blue question snapped him out of his musings. Alright? He sure hoped so. Miss Rockbell had gone through so many hardships since a very young, age and to add more misery into her life…

"Yes… I think so." Roy answered, giving his subordinate a reassuring smile, a gesture he also needed for himself.

Roy stood up and walked over to the maintenance chair were the woman was laying in her deep sleep.

"We need for her, this Wendy Rockwell, to wake up… She is the key to finding Miss Rockbell, after all."

The older man turned around and placed a comforting hand on his subordinate's shoulder.

He looked at the blonde with kind eyes. "Take me to this farmer that helped you with our sleeping beauty. Let's make sure that he… cooperates."

Russell was grateful of the General's kindness. Now he understood why every member of Roy's team was so loyal to the man. Roy Mustang maybe a superior officer but, he was a humble human being where it really mattered.

"Yes, Sir." The blonde said after standing up.

He led the way, and Roy followed.

Both men left for farmer William's place after safely securing the Rockbell residence and automail shop.

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**The Following Day**

"So, this is the infamous circle." Roy said while crossing his arms in front of his chest.

He narrowed his eyes. The array was something he had never seen before —well not in that formation or design— and it was completely different to the ones in Liore and the Underground City. He had seen the six-pointed star shape before in some ancient Xingese texts that belonged to his great-great grandfather, one of the first immigrants that came over to Ametrsis from that far eastern land. If he remembered correctly, the shape was a representation of the human body as a light vehicle to travel throughout the universe, and if that was the case, he could guess that the array was a means to travel to the other world.

_'That's not good…'_ He frowned.

"Did you figure what the array is about, Sir?" Russell asked once he saw the distress on his superiors face.

"I think so." Roy knelt down in front of the circle and pointed to the star matrix. "This is a sì miàn tǐ or tetrahedron(1), a matrix to describe a light body or in this case a human soul. The four alchemical elements present indicate a reaction, plus the addition of the sun and moon symbols enhances the fact that this array is indeed intended for human transmutation…"

The older man trailed off.

"…as a means of transport and not of retrieval… amazing."

"So there's a way to bring Winry back from that place?"

Roy looked into Russell's hopefully eyes.

"Yes, I think so, but first we have to make sure she ended up in that other world."

"W-what do you mean?" The blonde looked perplexed. "You think there are multiple worlds?"

Roy looked back at the array.

"That is a high possibility." He answered frankly, knowing very well that his response was something his subordinate wouldn't wanted hear.

He looked at him again and found the blonde clenching trembling fists.

"At any rate, did you manage to contact the town doctor?"

It was better to ask now and divert the way the conversation was heading.

"Yes, sir." The blonde grumbled. "He will be coming over this afternoon."

"Good. Now let's head back. We don't want to leave our 'guest' alone for so long."

**oo-OOO-oo**

Old, trembling hands pointed a small flashlight directly over the woman's gray eyes, making the pupils contract from the sudden exposure to light.

"It's a good sign, the contraction of the pupils." The doctor said as he put the instrument back in his bag.

"So what's the diagnosis?" Russell jumped in to ask.

"Well, son. She's in a coma, but a light one as she responds to the environment around her and can sustain breathing on her own—"

"Can she be moved to Central?"

Roy who had been leaning all this time on the door frame of the guest bedroom, decided to butt in when he heard what the good doctor had to say.

The question had caught the old man by surprise, but he gave it some thought nonetheless.

"Technically you can, but I wouldn't advise to it unless it was absolutely necessary."

"Then it is settled." Roy replied, completely ignoring the doctor's suggestion. "Tells us what we need to do so we can move her safely to the capital."

"Do you think that's a good idea, sir?" The blonde interjected.

Russell was concerned. Yes, he wanted to have Winry back safely in his arms, but he didn't want the only connection to Winry get hurt in the process.

"A specialist back in Central can help with her rehabilitation besides…" Roy retorted then he pulled the blonde apart for a brief moment. "We need to keep that double in hiding. News of what happened in Resembool had probably reached the higher brass already, and if that's the case, then you can forget about bringing your fiancée back from wherever she is at."

The blonde's eyes traveled to Wendy and her serene face. His eyes knitted together with worry. In the few years he had been certified as a State Alchemist, he had been privy to many of the questionable practices that most of his superiors had regarding the treatment of its citizens.

"I guess you're right, sir." He admitted.

"I know I'm right." Roy couldn't help to boast to which his subordinate offered a flat stare in return.

The Brigadier General approached the doctor and asked him for the list of medical equipment necessary to safely move the Winry-look-alike to Central.

**oo-OOO-oo**

The squeaky voice of Hakuro's secretary suddenly crackled on the intercom.

"General, sir, there is a man named Cid waiting on the line."

The General, who was at the time was reading an expense report from the Research and Development Department, closed the folder and pushed the talk button on the communication device.

"Patch the call."

He let go of the button and waited for the phone to ring.

"You better have good news from the East, Captain." He spoke curtly on the phone when he picked it up. He had been in a foul mood since talking with Mustang's bitch.

_"You were right about Mustang and Tringham, Sir."_

The man smiled wickedly over the telephone's mouthpiece. "What did you find out?"

_"There is a transmutation circle of odd origins on a field owned by the Rockbell's, some automail engineers from Resembool. I took pictures of the array and they are attached along with my report—"_

"Get to the point, Captain. Your promotion depends on it."

Hakuro heard the man fumble with what sounded like the shuffling of papers in the background. _"I had a talk with the town doctor an hour ago, since I heard on the streets that Mustang had requested his services."_

There was a small pause, then Hakuro's subordinate continued talking.

_"First, I thought that something had happened to the Emerald Alchemist, but it turns out that Mustang's dog had been tending to a woman since the day of the double earthquakes."_

"I heard that Major Tringham's fiancée is from that town, you idiot."

_"I know, Sir. Her name is Winry Rockbell, age 20… blonde hair, blue eyes—"_

"Get to the point!" Hakuro growled.

_"The woman that's under Tringham's care is a brunette, and from what the doctor told me, she's in her thirties."_

That piece of information caught the General's attention.

"So, it's not Major Tringham's woman?"

_"No, Sir. I also found out from a neighboring farmer that Miss Rockbell hasn't been seen since the quakes."_

_'Interesting.'_ Hakuro could already feel his mood lightening up.

"Thank you for the information, Captain Rosenburgh. Continue with your work and report back to me as soon as you have more information regarding this Jane Doe."

_"Affirmative."_

The Captain hung up.

Hakuro couldn't help the smile that appeared on his mouth. He loosened his necktie and undid the first three buttons of his dress shirt, then pulled out a long gold chain that he carried around his neck. The necklace had a small golden key dangling from it. Hakuro inserted the key on the keyhole of his top left drawer then turned it to the right. He took out a thick folder from inside the drawer and placed it heavily on top of his desk. He opened the folder and photographs taken from the transmutation circles of Liore and the Underground City from two years ago, were looking back at him. He dragged a finger across one of the arrays and grinned greedily. If the incident in Resembool was indeed a replica of what happened in the past, then there was a great possibility that a new gateway was established to that other place that dared to invade Amestris, and if he played his cards right, he would be able to gain access the other world as those bastards did two years ago.

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**Earth, January 23, 1940 A.D.**

_Bang!_

_"Winry, what's wrong?" He couldn't help to ask his childhood friend why she was painfully clenching her white dress at the chest._

_"It hurts, Ed…"_

_Winry dropped her arms to her sides and a crimson dot appeared in the middle of her white-cladded chest… and like a flower blossoming, the crimson dot spread._

_"I'm sorry, Ed!" Winry's face had acquired a ghostly pallor. "I'm so sorry!"_

_Ed fell to his knees and screamed at the top of his lungs, as black tendrils engulfed the beautiful blonde's body._

_Bang!_

_Edward blinked and noticed that he was holding Winry in his arms. She was crying, despair marred her beautiful features._

_"What's wrong?" He dared to ask._

_"I'm so sorry, Ed…" She gasped before rivulets of blood began cascading out of her mouth._

_Golden eyes blinked incredulous._

_Horror enshrouded his soul once he realized that the love of his life was gushing blood from her chest and into his trembling hands._

_"I'm sorry." She managed to say._

_The blood she spat had touched his face, before bright blue orbs became dull as death made its claim on them._

Edward's eyes shot open, his body instinctively bolted to a sitting position on the ample, satin-clad bed.

"Shit! Shit…!" He chanted absentmindedly, gasping between curses, unfocused eyes desperately trying to recognize his surroundings—

"Fuck!"

In his startled state, Edward accidentally ran his automail hand through his long, loose hair and now the automail hand was stuck in place with a mess of hairs that got tangled around the metallic joints of the artificial metacarpals. He managed to get most of his golden locks free but he still ended sacrificing many strands when he finally decided to yank his hand free. Parts of his scalp throbbed angrily, but he welcomed the pain because it meant he was indeed fully awake and fully aware of his surroundings.

Nothing had happened. It was morning and nothing had happened. He just had a vicious nightmare and that was all that transpired. Winry was safe and alive… and awake.

Edward brought his right knee closer to his chest and rested his now hairy automail limb on it. His brows slowly furrowed into a deep scowl as he thought of Winry.

_Shock suddenly grasped Edward's brain, and nearly all his other senses, when he realized that Winry was staring back at him. Elation quickly took over his initial shock as flickering golden eyes witnessed a miracle. Just when he got a hold of his strained vocal chords to command them to form words of happiness, a dreadful shriek was released from Winry's now badly shaking form. Frightening moans, wails and croaks soon followed as the awakened blonde failed to adjust to her surroundings. He was utterly stunned, frozen in place, unable to help one of his most cherished loves. Edward felt his sight blur as thick, hot tears burned the inside of his eyelids._

_Fortunately, Nurse McCarty had heard the screaming from down the hallway and rushed inside to aid the patient. She had injected a mild sedative into the I.V. line and Winry's frantic screaming had subsided to weak moans and heavy breathing. Alphonse had also come into the room and his face had gradually turned from worried to downright sorrowful as he shifted his hazel gaze between his childhood friend and his wreck of an older brother. The old woman barked at Alphonse to call the doctor before she also lost him to shock._

_The doctor —and longtime family friend— lived nearby, so after fifteen measly minutes he was at the doors of the Rockwell estate. Dr. Marcus' first order was for the brothers to leave the room. He apologized briefly to both of them and explaining that he would talk to them soon as the patient was completely stabilized._

_Alphonse, who was the less affected of the two, took Edward by the hand and led him to his study. He sat his muted older brother on the leather sofa and plopped on the nearby armchair. Neither of them spoke, they just waited in silence until the doctor told them of Winry's state._

_It was close to midnight when both heard a weak knock on the door. Alphonse got up and opened the door. Dr. Marcus walked in and sat where Alphonse had previously been sitting. The man told them that Winry was in a stable condition and for the next twenty-four hours was going to be under constant observation. He told the brothers that her initial confusion was a good sign because it meant that the patient was becoming aware of her surroundings, but he also suggested that, for Winry's best interest, it would be better that neither of them approached the patient until he deemed her fit to receive visits. It was a request that Edward immediately refuted, but Dr. Marcus told him that emotional stress could bring psychological damage to the patient._

_The doctor placed his hand inside his jacket and handed them some sedatives as he could tell the brothers also needed them, especially the eldest who had to go through the somewhat traumatic experience of a person emerging from a coma._

******oo-OOO-oo**

Edward looked at his pocket watch and the time marked five 'til 1:00 PM.

Soon after waking up from the horrendous nightmare "inspired" by what he had seen when crossing the Gate years ago, he called Dr. Marcus to ask him to meet with him and his brother in the afternoon. He needed to make sure to ask of him and his staff for discretion in the events that Winry started to talk about Amestris as she progressed in her rehabilitation.

Edward heard a knock on the door and stood up from the desk chair. He slipped his pocket watch back in place as he approached the door.

"Hey, Ed." Alphonse said when he slipped inside the study room, looking around inquisitively. "I thought the doctor was already here."

Nonetheless the younger blonde walked to the sofa and sat, folding his arms neatly on top of his thighs.

"He's to meet us at 1:30." Edward replied.

The older blonde headed to the liquor cabinet and poured a finger of brandy on the first glass he grabbed. He glanced over his shoulder. He offered the younger Elric a drink, but Al declined the offer with a wave of a hand.

"I wanted to speak with you before Dr. Marcus gets here." Edward said after taking a sip of the liquor.

The older blonde sat next to Alphonse, his upper body leaning on bent elbows, drink held with his flesh hand, which dangled between his slightly spread legs.

Edward took another sip and let a long sigh escape his mouth. "Do you think Wendy and Winry switched places?"

Alphonse's pressed his mouth into a thin line while he thought of his brother's theory. Wendy's experiment dealt with quantum mechanics and the manipulation of Earth's ley lines(2) to teleport matter from one place to another and zero-point convergence play a major role on the experiment—

Alphonse's eyes grew wide.

"What is it, Al?"

"Wendy reached zero-point convergence, but the converging point was not met in the ley lines, but with the Gate."

Now Edward's eyes grew wide. "You think she found another way into Amestris… one that doesn't need alchemy to reach it?"

"Yes, Brother. I mean Wendy's research expanded on your initial research."

The older blonde's eyes narrowed. He had forgotten about his initial experiments back in Germany when he still was hopeful young man, eager to find a way back to Amestris, a way back to Her.

"So I was right all along…" He scoffed then chugged the rest the liquid and used his sleeve to dry his lips.

"Don't drink anymore, Ed." Alphonse pleaded with consternated eyes.

"I won't Al… don't worry." He replied with a small smile.

Edward swirled the remnants of the brandy around the glass, thinking about the lingering risk that Winry was constantly being exposed to by staying on Earth.

"Al?" A thought came to mind.

"Yes, Brother?"

"Do you think you can replicate the experiment?" Ed said while he looked sternly into his younger brother's hazel eyes.

Alphonse shifted uncomfortably on the sofa, not liking what Edward had requested of him. "Yes, I think it can be replicated, but I would need your assistance to do it as you are more versed in zero-point convergence than I am."

"Can you get me full access into the Annex?"

A loving smile appeared on Alphonse's face. "Yes, Ed."

"Brother?" The younger blonde suddenly became pensive.

"Yes, Al?"

"Are you doing this because you want Wendy to return or are you doing it because you don't want to deal with Winry?"

Edward didn't answer. He just stared back at the bottom of the glass he held between his hands. In all fairness he did want Wendy to return, her children and her home were on Earth, but his true intention was to send Winry back to Amestris. The Gate had taken so much from him already and he wasn't going to let IT take Winry's life too.

He would do everything in his power to keep her alive… no matter the cost, no matter what he had to sacrifice this time around.

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A/N: **Touka Koukan +1.** So remember to review! By reviewing you're not only honoring all those long hours it took me to research and write a chapter but you're also honoring my beta who also takes away from her busy time to dutifully polish this story.

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References:

(1) Direct translation for tetrahedron from Madarin and by no means a translation to the term merbabah that describes a star shape tetrahedron. More on this in later chapters.

(2) Based on the Planetary Grid System —you can google those words— in where leylines are alleged alignments of a number of places of geographical interest, such as ancient monuments and megaliths that are thought by certain adherents to dowsing and New Age beliefs to have spiritual power (Source: Crystalinks). This can be a loose reference to the Dragon's Pulse in the manga.


	5. Four

A/N: Thank you very much Jaclynkaileigh, Zilsepam, evilpika, erico637, BuggyNess, ellamariexx, J S Smith and all guests who had left comments to this story. It means more to me than you can imagine.

Also I want to thank my beta and collaborator ZilSepam for all her help and insight for this story.

Enjoy!

**WARNING: This chapter contains racial slurs and goes into strong racial issues.** This will be continue until the end of this story. Please keep this info in mind when you read. Those who offend easy might be benefited by the use of the "back" button.

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**4**

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**Amestris, Continental Calendar, June 11, 1919**

Roy contemplated the brunette as she remained in a quiet slumber, completely oblivious to her surroundings, and to her fate. The scientist in him told him this Wendy Rockwell was a fascinating subject to study. She was one-of-a-kind; a human not pertaining to his world yet linked to it by the person she so closely resembled. However, this created a personal dilemma, because the man in him whispered that she was also very captivating. The conflicting personas within him at least had the same goal in mind, which was finding every minute excuse that led him to be near her. The present excuse was that he had to guard the woman until his subordinate returned from town with the rest of the medical supplies needed for the trip to Central.

After convincing his brain that he wasn't overstepping any boundaries, the older man took one of her soft hands into his and gently caressed it. The touch set the stage for his mind to muse, but it was her familiar features that eventually granted permission for his mind to wander, wondering if this double's life also mirrored Miss Rockbell's… and with all his guilt-laden heart, he hoped that was not the case. In his mind's eye, he saw this "Winry" with siblings, with loving parents, and no bastard —like himself— in sight to deprive her of such happiness—

The dog's bark startled him, and he thought he heard noises coming from the front of the house.

Russell had a hard time opening the front door with the bags he was balancing between both hands, but somehow he managed to get inside.

"Hey General, I'm back!" He yelled, since Den's loud barking was drowning all other background noises.

Roy jumped in place when he heard his subordinate's voice and quickly released the woman's hand, letting it fall abruptly to her side. He scrambled to get up from the chair to stand by the brunette's side just as Russell walked inside the room. The blonde raised a questioning eyebrow at his superior, as it looked like he caught his Commanding Officer in the midst of something.

Roy quickly walked over to his subordinate and took one of the bags from his hands.

"So did you get everything that was missing?" He asked, inspecting the contents of the bag as he tried to avert any attention to himself.

"Yes, I got everything and…"

Russell placed the other two bags on top of the nightstand, briefly taking a glance at the brunette before sitting on the chair next to the bed.

"…you were right. There was a man tailing me the whole time I was getting the supplies."

Roy's eyes narrowed. He was already on edge about the fact that Riza had not contacted him, even though it was what they both had agreed on doing before he set out to Resembool.

_"No news is bad news."_ She had said to him as the train began moving.

"Can you describe the man?"

Russell had bent forward on the chair, placing the weight of his tired upper body on his thighs, narrowing his blue-gray eyes as he recalled that morning's chain of events.

"He looked like he was in his mid-thirties; black hair, short, brown eyes, but his outstanding feature was a patch of white hair located on the right side of his hairline." He looked up at Roy, interlacing his fingers as he waited for the older man to digest the info he just offered.

"Big nosed and thick eyebrows?" Roy added to the description.

"Yes."

"His name is Cid Rosenburgh, a subordinate that works for General Hakuro." Roy folded his arms in front of his chest and absentmindedly grabbed his chin as he entered in deep thought. "Dammit."

"How bad is the situation, sir?"

Roy's hard eyes stared into gray.

"As you might have noticed, General Hakuro has been gunning for the seat of the führer since King Bradley was assassinated."

He looked at Miss Rockbell's double and his shoulders tensed slightly. Russell followed Roy's eyes, also looking at the brunette.

"He's a shady individual who will use anything and anybody if it helps him get closer to that coveted seat."

Roy was now pinching the bridge of his nose.

"The higher brass knows all the details of what happened at the Underground City two years ago and many were expecting to get their paws on the aerial technology… Hakuro was the most interested of all, the bastard."

"So you mean that he already suspects the opening of a new gate?"

"Most likely." Once again, he fixed his eyes upon the brunette.

"…and he probably knows about her since Cid is around."

Russell stood up from his chair with clear agitation.

"What are we going to do now? Can Major Hawkeye and the others help?"

Roy began pacing the room, Russell's agitation had inadvertently affected him too.

"No, we can't have them helping. A commanding officer of my rank, suddenly deciding to visit a small town like this one was going to immediately raise some red flags, so my presence in Resembool needed to appear ordinary. I specifically ordered the Major to avoid any contact with me if she felt that there was any suspicion from the higher brass regarding my absence from HQ."

He stopped pacing around just to stare at his subordinate.

"We need a distraction so we can escape with the double without being noticed by Hakuro's spy."

Roy rested his hands on his hips while his mind put some weight on the alternatives.

"We can try to escape by train to East City, where I have trusted contacts within the military, but that would be a major setback, not to mention that we are adding more risk to the welfare of our sleeping beauty…"

Russell gritted his teeth, he didn't like what he was hearing from his superior at all, but how could they escape Hakuro's spy without getting detected?

The blonde's eyes lit up.

"We can drug him." He said, looking expectantly at his superior.

"I thought about it but we need an expert on the subject."

"Well, I know of a master Herbalist. He lives in the outskirts of Resembool and is a lifelong friend of Winry's, but…" Russell said, immediately knitting his brows in dismay.

"I take that he might not cooperate?" His subordinate's sullen look forced him to ask such question.

"No…" Russell trailed off. "He will help."

Russell's eyes trailed of to Wendy.

"But we might need to tell Pitt about her."

**oo-OOO-oo**

Russell slowly pulled over in front of the dirt road that led to the rundown cottage where Pitt Renbak had moved in not long ago. Still with his two hands clenching the wheel at ten and two o'clock, he looked for a second time at the small hill he had to trek on, and cringed. Pitt Renbak was the last person he wanted to be personally indebted to.

He met the curly-haired man two years ago when he first stepped out of the crowded wagon and onto the train platform at the Resembool station. Pitt was going to be his colleague, assisting him with the military-funded project —of which Brigadier General Mustang put him in charge— to replenish the depleted farming lands in the Resembool region. In his mission papers stated that Mr. Renbak was an expert in herbalism, and such knowledge could prove to be a valuable asset when he finally integrated the fertilization process to the depleted soil via alchemy.

At the beginning, Pitt seemed like a nice guy —brash but nice— he even reminded him of his rival-in-alchemy, the Fullmetal Alchemist. Russell remembered joking about it at some point, something he later regretted as the green-eyed young man became illogically enraged when he mentioned the name of Edward Elric in his presence. This drew some red flags about his colleague, and upon further inquiries around town, he found out that Pitt and Edward had been childhood classmates and sworn rivals.

Like Edward, Pitt was on the shorter side of the average height for an Amestrian male, and just as volatile when diminutives were used around him. Such bits of information about his colleague proved to be a welcomed distraction since the banters they would get into helped him to withstand the boring life that was rural Resembool.

He could say that their work relationship was overall amicable but all that changed one day when they both were walking around the streets of downtown Resembool and came across Miss Winry Rockbell. Russell remembered vividly how the blonde beauty made his heart skip a beat. He never had believed in love at first sight, and had dared made fun of those that swore by it, but after becoming lost in the azure of Winry's gaze, he became a true believer.

His relationship with Pitt finally went south the day that Winry came over to their worksite, requesting the compounding of herbs that were used on her post-op patients. Russell vividly remembered how the beautiful blonde's coquette gaze sparked him to finally act upon his resolve to ask her out on a date. His jaw —just like Pitt's— hung open from shock when the automail mechanic said "yes" to the invite.

One day, after months of dating Winry, Pitt came into his office and handed him a letter of resignation. He tried to convince the curly-haired man to stay, because his contribution to the project had been quite extraordinary, but Pitt had replied that he just couldn't tolerate working with a backstabber. Those words left him rather perplexed, since he didn't think that he had done anything to deserve such a blatant accusation.

That same evening, he told Winry of Pitt's resignation and of his illogical accusation against him. Winry sighed deeply upon hearing the news. She told him that the reason Pitt quit and called him by that name was because Pitt had always been in love with her since they were kids, even though she had told him countless times that she only could see him as a friend. Russell felt sorry for the guy, as unrequited love is a tough pill to swallow, but he wasn't going to stop dating the most wonderful woman he had ever met just because he was bitter and heartbroken.

Lost in his musings, Russell had inadvertently reached the front door of Pitt's place. He was about to knock on the worn wood frame when it suddenly creaked open. Standing before him was Pitt, looking all frumpy and with a death stare adorning his jade eyes.

"Tringham… you're the last person I imagined would come knocking on my door." He looked at the tall blonde from top to bottom. "So what the hell do you want to steal away from me this time around?"

Russell narrowed his gray eyes upon hearing Pitt's snide comment. The short man proved to be more spiteful than he first imagined, and that would definitely hinder his plea. The tall blonde realized that he had to play his cards well with the young doctor, even if that meant he had take Pitt's hateful blows head-on, because otherwise he would surely lose his only chance at getting Winry's look-a-like out of Resembool in relative safety.

He sucked in a breath before engaging in conversation with the cynical man.

"I'm not here to take anything from you, Pitt. I'm here to ask for your professional help on an urgent matter."

Pitt raised an eyebrow, his curiosity was piqued. "So what does the almighty State Alchemist needs from humble ol' me?"

Russell stifled a groan.

"I need for you to create a powerful opiate that would keep a person asleep for at least twenty-four hours."

Pitt's eyes became wide just before narrowing into contemptuous slits. "The answer is 'no'."

He began to close the door on Russell's face but the blonde put a foot in it.

"Move your foot you piece of shit or I'll crush it!" Pitt growled, now clearly pissed off at him.

"You will be helping Winry, not me!" He admitted.

Russell hoped that bringing Winry into the equation would quell Pitt's anger, and it worked as the brunette's face softened at the mention of her name.

"What happened to her? Tell me the truth, it'll determine if I help you or not."

'_Perceptive as always…'_

The blonde's lips pursed together into a tight flat line. He was hoping to not disclose much information to his rival about what had transpired in the last few days, but he new that Pitt —just like Edward— followed suit on his threats.

"Fine Pitt. You win. I'll tell you everything."

He snorted, knowing very well that the General was going to be upset by his precipitation, but there really was no time for senseless posturing. He would humbly let Pitt twist his arm if it ultimately got Winry to return safely to his side.

The curly-haired man was was more than surprised by his rival's subdued response. He had expected that the tall blonde would put up a fight, but he didn't. He knew this meant he wasn't bullshitting. Pitt opened the door and stepped aside to let Russell in.

"You need privacy in order to tell me what's going on, am I right?"

Russell smiled, grateful that the man was at least willing to hear his plea. He stepped inside the cottage and Pitt followed, closing the door only after he made sure that there were no lingering eyes in the vicinity.

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**Earth, January 29, 1940 A.D.**

"Alphonse!" Wallace shouted, then waved a nervous hand to get the younger Elric's attention as he entered the control room.

"What is it?" He replied in an awkward tone, wondering why his assistant was covering the telephone receiver with one hand while he wiggled his eyebrows in the oddest of ways.

He knew that Wallace was an eccentric man, but the way he was acting at that moment was borderline lunacy. Wallace changed his tactic from wiggling eyebrows to the tilting of the head, clearly signaling the blonde to come closer. Alphonse was starting to lose his patience with his assistant, but nonetheless decided to indulge the man and his charades.

"What is the mater with you today?" Alphonse reprimanded the chubby man while he placed his hands on his hips.

"'The Havoc' is on the line." Wallace whispered almost inaudibly.

It took a few seconds for Alphonse to process the unintelligible message, but when he did, his eyes grew as big as saucers, finally understanding why Wallace was acting so skittish.

"What does he want?" Alphonse whispered with growing worry.

"He wants to speak with Wendy." Wallace replied with a muffled voice as he kept biting at his nails.

_'Shit.'_ Alphonse felt the contents of what had been a delicious breakfast turn violently in his stomach.

"Hand me the phone." He finally said after making a quick mental checklist of what had transpired in the last four weeks around the Annex, including the failed teleportation experiment and Wendy's undisclosed disappearance.

"Good morning, Admiral Montgomery. This is Alphonse Von Elric speaking on behalf of Dr. Rockwell. How can I be of service?" Alphonse had tried to sound as casual as his nerves led him be.

"Finally that bumbling idiot you got for an assistant remembered how to properly patch a goddamn call!" Admiral Jean Montgomery barked from the other side of the line.

Thankfully for the blonde, he managed to pull away the receiver before receiving permanent ear damage.

"Well, he is most efficient at his job, which is not answering calls."

"Where's Dr. Rockwell, slick…? Or does the personnel at the Annex likes wasting my time by playin' cat and mouse?"

Alphonse made a face upon hearing the older man's words. It never ceased to amaze him how this older version of Jean Havoc was such an abrasive dick. He cleared his throat out of nervous habit.

"Admiral, sir, Dr. Rockwell is not in the facility at the moment… she's… she's been indisposed for a few weeks now."

Alphonse crossed his fingers, hoping that the general would believe the lie.

"Indisposed, you say?"

There was a brief moment of uncomfortable silence before the older man began speaking again.

"I assume that you at least got the data from the test."

Alphonse cursed inwardly at the older man's perseverance.

"We're still analyzing the data, sir." He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, preparing mentally for the ensuing blow.

"What!" Jean snarled from the other side of the line.

"Explain yourself!"

Still cringing, Alphonse spoke cautiously into the receiver.

"Well… the data collected got corrupted by the power surge from the generators and—"

"Y'all dumb as a box of rocks— God dang it!"

The blonde could feel the man glowering at him from the other side of the line.

"How long will it take to recover the data?" Jean said in resignation.

"Two months and—"

"Tell Dr. Rockwell that she has one month! One month, slick!"

The line went dead.

Taking the telephone receiver from his ear, Alphonse let himself plop on the nearest chair and handed the phone to Wallace.

"Are we in trouble, Al?" The chubby man asked with sincere worry.

Alphonse looked at his assistant straight in his baby blue eyes. A "yes" rolled out of his mouth before submerging in deep thought. They were definitely screwed. and he didn't have any plans about how to keep the Admiral from finding the truth about what happened with the teleportation experiment nor how to explain that Wendy was in his home world. He grunted when he remembered that Edward was at Virginia Tech, persuading the dean for a leave of absence so he could work in the Annex and find a way to replicate the experiment.

**oo-OOO-oo**

Jean slammed the receiver into the telephone base then ran a hand across his impeccably shaved jaw.

_'Miserable kraut(1).'_

He knew very well that Wendy's right hand was shamelessly lying to him. It seemed that something major had happened after he "pressured" the doctor for real results, but he needed proof to his assumptions. He quickly remembered that the mother of his only black underling worked at the Rockwell estate.

"Well, at least that fuckin' nigger(2) will finally be of some use." He snickered.

Jean leaned forward and pressed the talk button of the intercom.

"YN2 Smith, can you find if QMC White is currently underway?"

After a few minutes, the Yeoman replied via intercom.

_"Admiral Montgomery, sir, the USS Ohio(3) is on port and QMC White has been notified that his presence is needed at the Admiral's office."_

Jean was pleased with the news. He leaned forward to press the talk button.

"Thank you very much, Smith."

He rocked back into his leather chair but swung forward to press the intercom's button one more time.

"One more thing, bring me QMC White's file ASAP."

He let go of the button and leaned back again into the chair.

"Might as well get acquainted with this… 'over-achiever'." He said to himself just before a derisive smile marred his hardened face.

**oo-OOO-oo**

"Quarter Master Chief Petty Officer Clarence White, here to report, sir!"

The dark man saluted his superior accordingly then took a military stance once he entered the Admiral's office. Clarence had hoped to be greeted accordingly, but instead he began feeling a bit uncomfortable with the way the Admiral just kept looking at him, like he wanted to bore a hole in his face with his condescending stare.

Jean decided to amuse himself after getting tired of staring at a man that clearly didn't know his place, so he got up from his leather chair and approached the dark-skinned soldier at a slow, unnerving pace.

"So this is the 'prodigy' that came out of basic training just a few years ago."

The tone Jean's words took couldn't be more derisive even if he wanted to. He still hadn't acknowledge Clarence's presence as it was required by protocol, and he wasn't going to, because it would be a mockery to address such lowly man. Instead, Jean looked at the QMC from top to bottom with cold, blue eyes. How the military let people like him go up the ranks was still a mystery to him.

"Yes, sir." Clarence said in a confident bass tone, despite the Admiral's treatment towards him.

"Did I give you permission to speak, boy?" The blonde man snarled, and Clarence stiffed ever so slightly in his already erect stance.

Admiral Montgomery stepped closer to his subordinate. "That is the problem with your kind." He said as he leaned even closer. "You think that because you got as far as you have, that you are now an equal to the white man… well you ain't, boy. God knows what heathen thing you did to get to where you're now."

Clarence steadied his breathing while his superior barked at his face like a drill sergeant. The talk around base was that Admiral Jean Montgomery was a complete asshole. Born from a prominent cattle-raising family in Texas, Jean aka 'The Havoc', was as racist as they come, and to his misfortune, he was placed under his chain of command after graduating from basic training with the highest of honors.

The Admiral took two steps back, and unblinking icy eyes stared directly into his soul.

"Your file states that you've been recommended by your peers to attend the prestigious Annapolis Military Academy, but you need a full command approval to attend. May I ask you why, if you've been recommended, that none of the high ranking officers have made the effort to sign those papers for you?"

The dark man swallowed before engaging in conversation. "Permission to speak, sir?"

Jean sneered, content that the man had easily submitted to him. "Permission granted."

"The officers say I still lack the proper instruction to attend such prestigious school, sir."

"And do you believe this to be true?" His smile was slowly spreading across his face.

"No, sir. I meet all the pre-requisites to attend such school, sir."

"So, can you tell me the real reason the officers won't send you to Annapolis?" Jean was really taking delight in humiliating this soldier.

Clarence's lips pressed together as he suppressed the anger that the bastard was making him feel.

"No answer?" The blonde said sarcastically. "Well I'll tell you why. It's because they don't want a 'negro' soiling the classrooms of the academy."

The Quarter Master was now biting the inside of his cheeks. What he would give just to knock out some teeth from that prick's mouth.

The Admiral walked to his chair and sat comfortably in it, leaving his subordinate still standing in the same position he had been in since he first walked in. Jean placed his elbows on top of the desk and rested his chin on his folded hands. He continued his condescending stare at the dark-skinned man before deciding to further communicate with him.

"Annapolis would be a great career opportunity for a person of your kind. Becoming an officer means prestige, power and a better life for you and your family. Your poor momma won't have to serve a master anymore and your little brothers and sisters will be able to live a better life than what you had. Such a golden opportunity for you." The Admiral finished his words in a disrespectful singsong.

Clarence's brows furrowed. "What is it I need to do in order to receive such honor, sir?"

Jean scowled. "I don't like your witty tone, boy, but yes… there is something you can do to earn that school."

Clarence stayed silent, waiting for his superior to tell him what kind of dirty job he had in mind for him.

"I need you to gather intelligence from the people that reside at the Rockwell Estate. Your ol' lady works there, so it should be easy for you to relay to me what's going on with the masters of the house."

Jean leaned backwards on the leather chair and waited with for his subordinate to give him an answer, but none had immediately come out of the soldier's mouth.

"Remember… a man of my position can grant you easy access into Annapolis. No questions asked."

The blonde could see turmoil in the Quarter Master's dark eyes. If he said "no", 'The Havoc' would make the years left in his military contract a living hell, that is if he made it to the end of his contract. If he said "yes", his family would definitely have a better chance in life and he really didn't want his mother breaking her back working for others anymore… however, he knew that the current masters of the Rockwell Estate had been very kind to her… was there really no other alternative to what the man was asking?

"I accept with gratitude, sir." He finally said and felt slightly sick to his stomach when he saw the face of complete and utter satisfaction that the old man sported.

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A/N: I had to split this chapter because it was becoming massive and I have a 6,000 word cap per chapters for this story. Next chapter (which I will start working ASAP) will be mainly on the EdWin side.

**Touka Koukan +1.** So remember to review! By reviewing you're not only honoring all those long hours it took me to research and write a chapter but you're also honoring my beta who also takes away from her busy time to dutifully polish this story.

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References

(1) Derogatory term used in WWII by Americans (taken from the British) to refer to German citizens.

(2) Derogatory term used in America to refer to African-Americans.

(3) USS Ohio is a made up name. I took the USS Arkansas (BB-33) a real battleship that fought in both WWI and WWII as the model for the battleship mentioned in this chapter.


	6. Five

A/N: Thank you for all your reviews. I just wanted to let all of you know that Russell's little brother, Fletcher, will be making an appearance in this story but not right away as you all can see. Also at the beginning I wasn't going to use Pitt in the fic but I preferred an established character from Arakawa's world instead of another OC. XD

Also I want to thank my beta and collaborator ZilSepam for all her help and insight for this story.

Enjoy!

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**5**

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**Amestris, Continental Calendar, June 11, 1919 — Early Evening**

"Oh! So that's the 'Winry' from another world?"

Pitt adjusted his glasses while he shortened the distance between himself and the sleeping woman. He stood next to her, and observed closely with wonderment in his green eyes.

"Simply amazing…" He looked over his shoulder at Russell who was standing next to his Commanding Officer. "You know, up to this point, I thought you were bullshitting me with your crazy story about parallel worlds."

He turned his head to look again at "Winry's" older version, when he felt his heart sadden.

'So Winry is really missing.'

Roy took the opportunity to send the dark glare he had been courteously withholding up to that point, at his subordinate.

"Did you have to tell him everything?" He said between clenched teeth.

"I had no other choice, sir." He whispered back. "The man is stubborn as mule and wily as a fox."

"Not to mention little as a shrimp." Roy quipped, trying to find some amusement to the unwarranted situation.

"SCREW YOU, I'M NOT LITTLE!"

The curly-haired man had growled while he glanced at them. He turned around in a flash, baring teeth and trying to look as menacing as his words sounded.

Both Roy and Russell became momentarily stunned with the awkwardness of the present situation, but ended up exploding into a laughing fit at the short man's expense.

"So I was fated to meet two short stacks in my lifetime that would throw hissy fits about their heights." Roy said out loud while wiping the tears from the corner of his good eye.

Pitt bared his teeth now only at Roy, not understanding why the man would make that type of comment, but still feeling the necessity to be insulted by it. His illogical reaction only made the older man laugh at his expense some more.

"He meant you and your pal, Edward." Russell explained, inadvertedly adding more fuel to Pitt's fire.

"You mean they know each other?" Roy said with a dumbfounded look as if he discovered a closely-guarded secret.

"More like childhood best friends." The blonde added, this time adding insult to injury.

"DON'T YOU START PINNING ME WITH THAT MORON AGAIN, RUSSELL!" Pitt yelled, sporting a vicious look on his face.

Russell shrugged. "Well, I only brought it up because Edward Elric was Brigadier General Mustang's subordinate."

Pitt's green eyes shone with spite and so did his blossoming smile. "Oh, this is rich! Not only are you playing second fiddle to Winry but you're also playing second fiddle to this man?"

Roy looked at his subordinate and saw how Russell's face became red hot with indignation. The out of the blue, the blonde shortened the distance between the brunette and himself and began screaming at him face-to-face. The older man sighed, hoping that the two young men would stop their childishness, but that wasn't the case. The short spitfire threw a punch at Russell, who retaliated by grabbing him back by the shirt and a full-blown fight ensued. Roy's eyebrow began twitching with anger.

"Enough!"

Thankfully, both idiots were not standing near Wendy, so Roy decided to end the cattiness between them with a swift snap of his gloved right hand.

The small blast of fire that passed between the two young men successfully breaking the fight. Now both men were frantically touching their faces for signs of burn marks. Russell was relieved to have not found anything burnt on his face of hair, however, Pitt dared a threatening look at the older man while he patted with his right hand what was left of his eyebrows.

"You almost burnt my face!" The brunette shrieked. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Roy tapped directly on his eyepatch while wearing a smug smile.

"My apologies. No depth perception."

Roy's words only got Pitt even more upset, but the older man wasn't going let the situation escalate any further.

"Well, Mr. Renbak. Can you create the concoction, yes or no?"

The use of his commanding voice finished diffusing the juvenile situation once and for all.

The corners of Pitt's mouth turned downwards into a deep scowl. He regretted listening to that blonde idiot in the first place, but Russell had to go and mention Winry's name. Yes, the dumb blonde had showed him proof of extraordinary events happening in his lovely hometown, something he really didn't give a damn about, but the object of his affection was really in the middle of it. Winry might not love him the way he wanted, but that didn't mean he was going to turn a blind eye to her plight when there was a woman lying on bed that held the key to getting her back safe and sound.

The curly-haired man grumbled something to himself before directing his attention to the arsonist.

"Yes." He spat. "I promised 'first loser' here that I was going to help. I can have the opiate ready in three days."

Roy's stance eased up. "That's good news. Three days it is."

"So how do you plan to administer the concoction?" Pitt added dryly. "I need to know because that will establish the form that the drug take."

Roy crossed his arms and looked pensive. He knew that a liquid or a powder where the easiest methods to administer the drug to the man…

'…but, what was the best way to approach a sly man like Cid without drawing suspicions?'

"Can you make it odorless and tasteless?" Roy shot back at Pitt.

"Yes, in powder form I can." Pitt adjusted his glasses. "Are you planning on spiking a drink?"

"That's the plan."

"But Cid will recognize us!" Russell said, jumping into the conversation.

"Yes but he won't recognize the doctor here."

"Oh hell no!" Pitt interjected. "I'm willing to create the drug but there's absolutely no way in hell that I will be administering it!

"And why not, Pitt?"

Russell's words were becoming increasingly hostile. "So you're not as badass as you make everyone believe?"

Pitt's brows furrowed with newfound anger.

"It's not that, you idiot. I promised myself that I would only create potions to help people, not hurt them."

"But you're helping people! You're helping Winry—"

"We understand, Pitt."

Roy put a hand on Russell's shoulder and squeezed gently, telling his subordinate with the gesture to calm down. His ebony eyes shifted from his subordinate to the young doctor.

"I have a plan." Roy added with a mischievous, lopsided smirk.

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**Earth, January 31, 1940 A.D**

"Good morning, Winry." Nurse Williams said with her usual sugary smile as she peeked her head thru the door.

Winry, who had just barely opened her eyes, scooted up on the bed until her back was comfortably resting against the back board. She was happy that she could do such simple action by herself without feeling dizzy, like when she first tried two days ago.

"Good morning, Angela." Winry responded with a smile of her own.

When Angela entered, Winry noticed that the she was carrying an ornate silver tea tray, one that she had grown accustomed to seeing. The young, red-headed nurse went around the bed and placed the tray on a small round table pushed against the window. She then moved around the table and ran the blackout curtains to the right, letting a flood of sunshine enter into the bedroom. Winry squinted her azure eyes as they accommodated to the drastic change in light, but when she did, she saw that Angela was already standing next to the bed, with arms extended, handing her breakfast tea.

"Thank you so much." Winry said and took a small sip from the fine porcelain cup. The rich black liquid quickly warmed her belly while the aromatic fragrance of the tea began lifting her mood.

"This is delicious." Winry added after inhaling some more of the aroma coming from the tea. "What is this tea called again?"

Angela smiled at her. "Oh Miss, you like to pull my chain, don't you? It's earl grey, a very popular tea in your country."

"Amestris?" Winry said hesitantly and her new response made the nurse chortle.

"See? You ARE pulling my chain, British girl." Angela patted one of her knees before heading to the door. "I will bring you your breakfast soon, then Dr. Marcus will come over to see how you're doing."

The nurse closed the door behind her and Winry let the heavy weight of worry fall on her delicate features.

"British…" She thought out loud. "What is a British?"

Her brows furrowed. 'What am I going to do?'

The blonde hugged her midsection, trying to block fear from possessing her insides once again. The past few days have been one of the most bizarre and scary experiences she had ever faced in her entire life; starting with the suffocating blue light and ending with the blurry vision of a golden man that shook her very core.

Little by little, and to the best of her abilities, she has been able to piece what has happened to her. The last concrete memory she had was of being at the comfort of her home before being engulfed in the middle of a grassy field. Something serious must have happened to her, because she recalled a long period of darkness, and because she couldn't wake from that state, she thought she had somehow died and had been sent to limbo; but a very familiar voice asking for forgiveness pulled her out of that black void… then she saw 'Him'.

She tried speaking to the golden blur, quickly realizing that she couldn't. An uncontrollable feeling of terror overtook her body —which led to convulsing— but before she drifted to unconsciousness once more, she swore that the golden figure looked like it was in pain. She didn't know why but the scene stirred her heart in unspeakable ways as she succumbed to a dreamless sleep.

When she awoke, she was greeted by two amicable nurses and an equally amicable doctor that made her feel at ease. It took her a couple of minutes to understand with full clarity the words spoken to her, but when she did, she realized her helpers spoke slightly different to what she was accustomed to. Of course, she understood every word they said to her, but their accent was off. Doctor Marcus, as the man introduced himself to her, had told her that she had suffered from some unknown trauma which ended up putting her under a coma that lasted fifteen days. She had felt her eyes impossibly widen and, each and every consternated word she had assembled in her mind, became stuck in her throat as her vocal chords wouldn't —or more accurately— couldn't work. She quickly found that only unintelligible sounds came out of her mouth, to which the doctor responded with a reassuring smile. He told her to have patience and wait because it was normal for patients emerging from a coma to experience that sort of problems. However after two days of the expected five, she was talking normally. Her first concrete sentence asked about her whereabouts, but each and everyone in the medical staff didn't answer such simple question. When she pressed on the subject the doctor responded that the master of the estate would eventually meet with her and then she could ask him all the questions she had in her mind. The doctor had left before giving her a chance to ask what an "estate" was.

Soon after, she found out that feeling tired and weak was also a part in the period of her recuperation. Winry was profusely worried about not being strong enough to walk on her own, but the nice red-head nurse told her not to worry, because the exercises she did with her would help her to get her on her feet in no time.

One morning, she finally remembered Russell and wondered if he was the golden man she saw in her delirium. She was about to ask Nurse Matthews about her fiancé when a bright reflection ran across one of the walls in the room, prompting her to look outside the window. What she saw made her gasp in disbelief. A car had pulled over the front of the residence, but the car did not have the usual steam piping encasing the outer shell of the vehicle —not only that— but it look completely different to the newest models driving around the streets of Central. This discovery made her become very wary about the story that had been fed to her and if indeed she had been in a coma as she was told or if something entirely different had happened.

She started to wonder if she had been abducted, taken to a neighboring country, where she was being held captive under false pretenses while they awaited for negotiations to take place. She knew her assumptions were rather extreme, but she figured that since she was involved in a serious relationship with a State Alchemist, that maybe she was being used as a leverage of sorts. Wasn't unreasonable danger the main reason the Elrics always kept her at bay?

Up until that moment, she had been okay with the medical staff not disclosing any type of personal information to her, but her strategy had changed. She was going to be discreet and amicable with all of them, gathering whatever type of information she could weasel out of the staff and when she gathered enough information about her captors —and when she had physically recovered— she would find a way to escape their grasp and would try to make contact with Russell.

**oo-OOO-oo**

"Miss Winry, I will be flashing a light to your eyes now." Dr. Marcus said in a rather upbeat tone, something that the blonde instantly noticed.

"So am I getting better, doctor?"

The old man smiled at her. "Close cover your left eye."

He shined a small flashlight to her right eye and watched as the pupil contracted perfectly.

He lowered the flash light. "Now cover your right eye."

As he expected, the left pupil also reacted the same way as the right pupil. He stood up from the chair and put back the flashlight in his bag then returned by Winry's side.

"Miss Winry, you're recuperating at a really fast pace, faster than the average person does when emerging from a coma. Your reflexes are good and you're gaining your strength rapidly. Maybe in a few more days and you'll be able to start walking with a cane."

Winry felt happy. "So that means that I'll be able to walk around the residence? Even explore the outside world?"

She hoped the innocence of her question would give her some definite answers about the truth of her situation.

"I sure hope so dear, but such concession falls on the master of this estate."

The blonde slightly frowned with frustration and quickly thought that a direct approach might give her the desired results she was looking for.

"When can I meet this lord, doctor?"

The old man gave her question some thought, and it looked to her as if he was actually waiting for this exact moment to happen. It made her wonder if the man himself had been coerced to keep quiet. Such speculation made her worry even more about her fate in that place.

"You're prepared to meet with him, my dear." He said after a few long minutes.

He patted her knee then turned around and picked up his bag. The man walked to the door and glanced at her as he opened the door.

"I will tell Master Von Elric right now to meet with you this evening."

Winry's heart skipped a beat when she heard the surname but the doctor had already left before she had a chance to ask him this "master's" first name. Her right hand clenched to her nightgown, right where her heart was located. She could feel its rapid beating against her fisted hand.

"Von… Elric?" She breathed into the now empty room.

Was this a sick joke? Do her captors know about her history with the Elrics and are using it against her? Her stomach turned slightly at the thought.

'The golden figure!'

Now that she thought about it, the apparition couldn't have been Russell… maybe the figure was Master Von Elric, the lord of the residence, the man with the golden hair—

'Could he be…'

Her pupils contracted and she felt butterflies in her stomach.

"Ed?"

Winry chortled at the impossibility of her conjecture. She knew very well that Edward and Alphonse were not in this world. They had left Amestris on their own accord, leaving her behind like a discarded doll. Her heart saddened, as it did every time she thought about the bitter abandonment…

Winry shook her current thoughts from her mind and picked up the novel she was given to her for entertainment, from the night table. Her eyes always went to the beautiful golden engraving on the front of the leather-bound book.

_Journey to the Center of the Earth_ by Jules Verne, it read.

'A story about a world hidden inside another world…'

She thought it was an interesting read, because she new first hand about parallel worlds. She had been witness of Edward and Alphonse's departure into another world after all.

Winry balanced the book in her right hand.

'This world in the story, this Earth, sounds interesting…'

The blonde opened to the bookmarked page and began reading where she had left off. Fleeting thoughts in the back of her mind worked at trying to picture this Master Von Elric; how he looked, how he carried himself —but most importantly— how good were his intentions towards her.

She exhaled with a bit of irritation but immediately told herself to be patient, because in a few hours she was finally going to be able to meet this man and get real answers.

.

.

**Later That Day**

"How are you feeling, Winry?" Dr. Marcus asked when he walked in.

Winry had jumped a little, thinking that it was Master Von Elric the one at the door. She nodded and smiled nervously.

"I'm here to check on your vitals, as requested by Master Von Elric."

The blonde nodded again out of reflex, her mind was starting to run wild with both anticipation and apprehension. The doctor neared the bed and placed the medical bag on top of the nightstand. He equipped himself with just a stethoscope and sat on the border of the bed. He listened to Winry's heartbeat while checking the symmetry of her pupils.

"My, you're really nervous." He chuckled while taking away the apparatus from the blonde's chest. "Well, your heart is beating strongly —but more importantly— your pupils look normal."

Dr. Marcus stood up as fast from the bed as his old age let him, then walked over to the nightstand to put away the stethoscope. He glanced at the book sitting on top of the table.

"The master's brother favors that book."

He picked up his bag and walked towards the door.

"He has a brother?" Winry asked in disbelief.

Dr. Marcus looked over his shoulder. "Yes my dear, he has a younger brother. You'll be meeting both of them right now. They're waiting for me to come out of the room to give them the okay to come in."

The doctor opened the door and closed it behind him, while Winry's stomach flipped as her nerves got the better of her.

She could hear muffled voices coming from outside the door. She swallowed thickly, for she sensed, again, a familiarity coming from one of the voices. Absentmindedly, she made sure that her gown was laying neatly on her body and that any stray strand of her light hair was neatly tucked behind her ears. Winry took a few steadying breaths, trying to calm her heart and her nerves, when she heard mechanical noises coming from the doorknob as it turned open. She grabbed the comforter of the bed, as if she was holding to dear life, when a man walked inside the room.

Winry became heady as her blue eyes took upon the image now standing in front of her. Long golden locks tied into a high ponytail, flickering eyes of the richest shade of amber, a darker shade of gold perfectly framing a well shaped mouth. Her mouth dried and her ears became deaf with the wild thumping of her heartbeats—

A taller figure appeared behind the golden man. Her eyes widening as this one she recognized immediately.

"Alphonse…" She breathed weakly.

Winry looked again at the other figure, trying to pin a name to the man.

"Ed-Edward?" She managed to say, before butterflies took complete control over her stomach.

Winry brought both her trembling hands to her mouth as her eyes became blurred with tears. An "Oh my gosh!" was muffled, but the words reached the men. One's mouth shone brightly while the other pressed his into a flat line.

Alphonse went quickly to her bedside and hugged the smaller frame tightly into his. Winry trembled, closing her eyes and sobbing loudly out of cheer happiness. The tears that took residence in her lower eyelid had already slid down her cheeks, making their way to her rosy lips. She opened her eyes and looked up, seeing that Edward still stood in place, a sad and longing look was the only change in his demeanor.

"Winry, it's really us!" Alphonse cried out with bright hazel eyes looking into her baby blues when he broke the embrace.

The blonde tried wiping away with the sleeve of her gown the flow of tears that kept cascading down her face.

"But how?" She said looking at Alphonse, perplexed. "I mean you both are… grown up!"

This time her words and her gaze was directed to Edward.

"You both are…"

The elder brother looked away, dejected.

"You're in the other world, Winry…" He said coldly once he fixed his golden eyes on her. "You're on Earth."

"Earth…" Her eyebrows tilted upwards in confusion. "—but I saw the Brigadier General close the gate!"

The brothers looked at each other and a sense of relief passed through their faces as they now had confirmation that the gate had indeed been closed on the Amestrian side.

"Winry…" Alphonse began explaining. "You came into this world through another way. You—"

"You switched places with another person." Edward interrupted, using a brash tone that made Alphonse wary.

Winry clenched her hands to the comforter, slowly becoming deeply hurt with the abrasiveness Edward was showing to her.

"On June 8, 1940; Wendy Rockwell engaged in a top secret experiment that dealt with teleportation using this planet's ley lines, as a means of instant transportation between distant points using a method known in quantum physics as zero-point convergence." Edward explained mechanically.

He walked around the bedpost and stood beside his brother. Both could clearly see the turmoil in Edward's golden eyes.

"The experiment did engage in zero-point convergence but not with Earth's ley lines, instead, it created a convergence point with Amestris… and the converging anchor was between you and Wendy."

He quickly looked away as if he was filled with an inexplicable sorrow.

"Why you two switched is still a mystery to all of us…" He added darkly.

Winry was speechless, clearly not understanding one iota of what has happened between her and this Wendy person she apparently changed places with.

"How…?" She said to herself. "Out of millions of people living in Amestris, in our world… why me?"

Alphonse was about to explain but Edward gave him a forbidding look.

"This world and our world are like twin sisters."

Edward crossed his arms in front of his chest and his mouth turned slightly downwards. "You see, like with twins, both worlds possess identical entities for everything."

Winry's eyes opened wide. "You mean…?"

"We all have an alter —a double— another person that looks almost exactly like you." Alphonse interjected, sounding clearly upset, while he shifted his eyes between his childhood friend and his older brother.

"Wendy Rockwell, _my wife_, is your alter here on Earth." Edward said dryly, making his younger brother look at him in dreadful shock while Winry looked at him in clear devastation.

Alphonse saw his brother take from the inside of his jacket a well too familiar picture frame.

"Brother, not now!" He screeched but Edward ignored him altogether and slowly placed the picture frame on Winry's lap.

Winry felt her blood turn cold as bile traveled up her esophagus, coating her mouth with a bitter taste. She felt light-headed again, and the deafening heartbeat in her ears came back. It was drowning out the screaming between the brothers. She looked with trembling eyes at the couple in the sepia colored photograph. It was a wedding portrait… of Edward and this Wendy. Her eyes welled up with tears again, but she still could make out the happy couple that had been captured in the photograph.

_"Tell her thanks, she always made the best…"_ Winry bitterly remembered Edward's last message to her, relayed by his ex-Commanding Officer.

The initial happiness she felt when she found herself reunited with her childhood friends was quickly replaced by the angry resentment she kept bottled up since the brothers' departure, since HIS departure. A headache now clawed at her skull and her eyes, and the room seemed to spin, still, she managed to look up at the source of her pain with hateful eyes before breaking into a bit of laughter.

"So this is why…" She slurred. "You—"

Everything became black.

* * *

A/N: **Want to look at what Edward showed Winry?** The title for the artwork is **_A Wedding Picture_**. Well, there's a link to the illustration in my profile page. I added a new segment in my profile with illustrations I'll be creating for this story and a random illustrations (or two or more) I'll create for my dear friends.

**Also check ZilSepam's and jaclynkaileigh's works.** Both are very talented fanfic writers with fresh ideas to the EdWin fandom (which this site desperately needs.)

**Touka Koukan +1.** So remember to review! By reviewing you're not only honoring all those long hours it took me to research and write a chapter but you're also honoring my beta who also takes away from her busy time to dutifully polish this story.


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